Amid a surge in seasonal flu infection, the Ministry of Health and Population has urged the general public to remain safe from the deadly virus.

Officials said they have issued an alert as cases of flu and fever are rising in hospitals.

“A lot of children are missing schools due to fever and flu, and hospitals have been witnessing a surge in influenza cases. Even the flow of patients at pharmacies has increased, which indicates a rise in influenza cases,” said Dr Samir Kumar Adhikari, joint spokesperson for the health ministry. “Even if children get cured in a few days after infection, the virus could be severe to elderly people and those having underlying conditions.”

Of late, hospitals throughout the country have been reporting a surge in cases of flu and fever.

Doctors said that some patients, especially children suffering from flu and fever, are found to be suffering from pneumonia too.

Pneumonia, an infection of the lungs caused by various types of bacteria, viruses and fungi, is the number one killer of children under five in Nepal. It kills more children annually than malaria, tuberculosis and HIV combined.
Fifteen percent of the total under-five mortality is caused by pneumonia, according to the World Health Organisation.

Doctors say pneumonia caused by bacteria is deadlier than that caused by viruses, and children under five and people above 65 years of age are highly vulnerable to the disease.

Thousands of people throughout the country contract pneumonia every year. And the average cost of families for a case of hospitalisation is Rs13,250, nearly half the average Nepali household's monthly expenses, a study carried out by Pneumo Nepal shows.

The study—which was carried out at Patan Hospital, Kanti Children's Hospital, Mission Hospital in Palpa, Bheri Hospital in Nepalgunj and BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences—shows that the unexpected costs frequently push families into poverty.

Doctors say seasonal flu is also a respiratory virus which keeps mutating like coronavirus. The virus spreads in the same way the coronavirus does. But people do not take the issues seriously, which is problematic, doctors say.

“People first buy over-the-counter medicines such as paracetamol, cough syrup and others and wait for several days hoping the ailment will get cured at home,” said Dr Ganesh Rai, former director at the Kanti Children Hospital. “One should rush the children to hospital if the fever does not stop after three days. Children could have suffered from pneumonia. Some of my patients are brought to me for examination only after they get serious.”

Doctors said that the number of people infected with seasonal influenza could be far more than what is recorded as not all cases reach hospitals and undergo testing. In some cases, even doctors do not think it necessary to carry out testing as there is no specific treatment for the infection.

The seasonal influenza virus causes respiratory complications, which affect the lungs. It spreads quickly in communities and can cause fever, cough, body aches, occasional vomiting, diarrhoea and pneumonia.

Experts say early diagnosis is crucial to preventing infection. Patients recover early if treated on time. Experts also said that both the severity of the disease and deaths increase if seasonal influenza cases are not diagnosed on time.

Child health experts ask parents to administer influenza vaccines to their children if they can afford it. The vaccine lessens the risk of pneumonia infection, according to them. They also ask not to provide children with cough syrup purchased over the counter.