For most people, getting the flu' has been a minor health hazard, a seasonal curveball with a bouquet of well-known symptoms-fever, cough, headache, body ache, runny nose, sore throat to be met with adequate rest and mild medication. Currently, however, doctors across India are reporting not just an extended flu-season but also abnormalities in terms of differing symptoms and a quick relapse. In response to the rising influenza infections, in January 2024, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) recommended use of the 2024 quadrivalent influenza vaccine that offers protection against two strands of Influenza A and two of Influenza B viruses.
But just what is the common but poorly understood malaise called influenza? It is a respiratory infection that spreads through droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It is caused by four kinds of viruses, classified simply as A, B, C and D. While both A and B viruses circulate and cause seasonal epidemics, only type A are known to have caused pandemics. Influenza A viruses are further classified into sub-types A(H1N1) and A(H3N2). You might also recognise A(H1N1) by its other name-A (H1N1) pdm09, as it caused the flu pandemic in 2009, replacing the older A(H1N1) virus, or 'swine flu', as it can infect both pigs and humans, though the last term has fallen out of usage now. Type B viruses belong to either the Yamagata or Victoria lineage, their names derived from locations where each strain was first isolated. An NCDC report highlights the presence of A(H1N1)pdm09, A(H3N2) and B/ Victoria lineage strains in India, all three of which are causing the current round of infections.
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Denne historien er fra February 26, 2024-utgaven av India Today.
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He gave the beat to the world
He would pick up the rhythms of each experience of mobility and weave them into his taals. Thus it was that he reflected joy and laughter in rhythmic cycles...such was the magic of Zakir's fingersText and photographs by Raghu Rai
KERALA TOURISM CAMPAIGN, 1989 - TICKETS TO PARADISE
All it took was a catchy tagline-'God's Own Country'-for the world to discover Kerala's wealth of natural beauty. It remains among the best tourism ad campaigns, earning the state a place among top 10 international destinations
SPIRITUALITY - THE GURUS OF COOL
Among the cult Indian gurus, no one had a bigger hold on western minds than 'Osho' Rajneesh. He's also perhaps the role model for the enterprise-building gurus of today
RETAIL SHOPPING - THE MALL MANIA
Shopping malls, a 1990s innovation in India, changed the way the Indian middle class shops. Their success now lies in being 'shoppertainment' destinations, offering something for everyone
CULINARY RENAISSANCE, 1978 - TANDOORI NIGHTS
ITC's Bukhara and Dum Pukht turned the world to tandoori cuisine and had an enormous impact on the F&B industry. Decades on, they are still a pit-stop for celebrities and heads of state visiting Delhi
INDIAN WRITING IN ENGLISH - REVENGE OF THE NATIVE
Rushdie lit the way but Indian writing in English has taken a life of its own in the past few decades, with translated Indian fiction most recently having its moment in the sun
INDIAN ART - A BRUSH WITH GOLD DUST
The 1990s economic liberalisation came as oxygen, lighting up the Indian art scene. Today, artworks by established masters routinely go for astronomical amounts
FESTIVAL OF INDIA, 1982 - CULTURE CAPITAL
The Festival of India grew into a symbol of our 'soft power', introducing our art and aesthetics to a global audience while also helping rebrand our domestic products
THE INDIPOP TREND - DISCO GOES DESI
For ages, the film song ruled. Nothing else was audible. Then came Nazia, charioteered by Biddu, and Indian ears went into a pleasant madness. Literally, Disco Deewane. A whole genre was born
SHOLAY 1975 - THE BIRTH OF THE FANDEMIC
India had seen hits before. But Sholay seared into its collective psyche like a badland bullet. The effect was on a scale never seen before- one film creating a new mass folk culture. And a trail of monster blockbusters that still continues
