Delay in monsoon retreat sparks viral infections in Pune

PUNE: Viral infections generally dip in Pune during the second half of October when the monsoon retreats and the weather becomes warm, but it has not been the case this year due to continuous rainfall, top infectious disease experts said.
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Despite a drop in Covid and H1N1 cases, doctors said that there has been a surge in viral upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) owing to intense spells of rain.“We are seeing maximum patients with dengue and viral URTI because of on and off rainfall and cooler temperatures in the afternoon. However, the trend is nothing to be alarmed about. Just that this October has seen more rainfall than most other years. October is supposed to be a relatively hotter month, which hasn’t been the case so far,” Dr Ameet Dravid, infectious diseases specialist at the Noble Hospital, told TOI.
Respiratory tract infections mostly dip during the summer and other warmer periods.
Dr Piyush Chaudhari, infectious diseases specialist at Jehangir Hospital, Pune, told TOI, “Whenever the return of monsoon is delayed in October, we see this trend of a higher number of cases with upper respiratory tract infections. Dengue cases have also gone up in the last 15 days after they dropped to some extent earlier during the season. In most years, deng-ue cases drop by October end, but this time they have been almost constant. ”
Dr Mahesh Kumar Manohar Lakhe, infectious disease specialist at Sahyadri Hospital, has been seeing a surge in cases of human metapneumovirus (HMPV), which can cause upper and lower respiratory disease. “Such cases are rising mainly due to the rainy season lingering longer than usual. HMPV is an influenza-like illness with fever and other flu-like symptoms, followed by a period of remission of all the symptoms for 3-4 da-ys. Again, the remission is followed by bouts of fever and cough. At the same time, dengue cases have surged again,” he said.
A nationwide analysis of respiratory diseases found specific triggers as well as seasonal factors that could aggravate conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), tuberculosis and other respiratory tract infections. Researchers said that getting wet in the rain and recent travel were found to be the triggers for respiratory tract infections.