The residents of Delhi-NCR have been dealing with some COVID-like disease, which has been resulting in prolonged illness and severe symptoms. According to the health authorities, the sharp rises are linked to influenza, including swine flu.
According to a recently conducted survey by LocalCircles, which included responses from 13,000 people of Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad, as many as 54% of the households of the region have one or two individuals experiencing symptoms like fever, cough, headache, stomach problems, respiratory illnesses, and joint pain. It is noteworthy that all the aforementioned symptoms resemble the symptoms of swine flu.
Health experts have outlined that the illness affects individuals of almost every age, especially people aged more than 50 years, the younger population, and people who are already dealing with health conditions like asthma, COPD, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiac issues.
Dr Neetu Jain, Senior Consultant, PSRI Hospital, according to the reports by The Indian Express, outlined, “Hospitals are reporting more admissions of people with pneumonia and bronchitis due to severe infections."
"Earlier, the illness used to last five to seven days, but now it is lasting about 10 days. Another important difference is that people are experiencing shortness of breath, chest congestion, and wheezing. Earlier, flu-like episodes would consist mainly of cold, cough, and fever,” she further added.
Additionally, Dr Jain mentioned, “People are experiencing what is called post-flu bronchial hyperreactivity, where they are dealing with a prolonged cough. This cough can be very disturbing; it prevents them from sleeping at night, and they are unable to participate in their usual professional activities due to this persistent cough. This is a notable difference from previous seasonal patterns. This kind of wheezing or prolonged cough usually requires nebulizers, bronchodilators, or inhalers, unlike in previous years when people mainly managed with rest and symptomatic treatment.”
Other reported symptoms amid this health crisis -
Reportedly, some of the patients who are dealing with the flu-like illness have also shared concerns about suffering from gastrointestinal issues, including diarrhea and nausea. This new symptom shows that the influenza has mutated, resulting in a new strain with higher complications.
Earlier surveys -
A similar survey was conducted in August 2024, which showed that as many as 38% of households experienced flu or viral fever cases. It is evident that this latest finding has shown a worrying increase.
The survey stated, “Viral illnesses rise in Delhi NCR from 38% of households experiencing it in August 2024 to 54% experiencing it in March 2025.”
Furthermore, the survey also unveiled that out of the total respondents of the survey, “9% stated that 4 or more individuals in their household have Covid/flu/viral fever symptoms; 45% of respondents said 2-3 individuals, while 36% of respondents thankfully reported no cases in their household and the remaining 10% of the respondents did not provide a clear answer.”
Increased recovery days -
According to the findings, the recovery days for the infection has also extended and now people take around 10 to 12 days to recover from the illness, which earlier was just 5 to 7 days. This increase has surely increased the concerns about the severity of infections and illnesses.
Amid these times, health experts have been investigating the situation to find out the exact reason behind this massive spread.