Bhubaneswar, Nov 28: H9N2,which is on the rise in China causing respiratory illness mostly among children, is not at all a new virus. It is a common virus, commonly circulating in the Indian environment, said the Director of Public Health Odisha, Dr Niranjan Mishra on Tuesday.
Responding to media queries, Mishra said here in Odisha, the H9N2 virus is also a common virus. The people have adequate antibodies to resist the virus. However, it has never been detected in Odisha so far. The RMRC has not detected any such abnormal virus from any blood samples, cultured yet.
Mishra further said, “ Media reports reveal the cases of Pneumonia and other respiratory complications are increasing in China due to an unknown virus. The attention grew as it was reported to be a new disease. Acting on it, the WHO’s intervention confirmed that the virus is not all new. So there is no need to get panicked. It is a commonly circulating virus."
“Earlier, it was mycoplasma Pneumonia. Now, there are influenza virus, adenovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus. The viruses are commonly circulating viruses. The Union Health Ministry has the same view on the disease, reportedly spreading,” Mishra said.
However, he said, “We have directed the districts to increase the surveillance against influenza-like illness, testing, and reporting. District health authorities are also directed to brace up for increasing Covid tests at their levels as the cases are more like Pneumonia.”
Besides Mishra said, “We have also directed the districts to keep beds aside, intensify facilities for testing, adequate drugs storage, strengthen oxygen support system, and ready manpower and to increase surveillance.”
