Karnataka health dept mandates face mask for health workers

Given the widespread cases of seasonal flu, the state health department issued a circular on Monday, mandating healthcare workers in both private and public health centres to wear face masks.

Also, the staff working in high-risk areas like ICUs and isolation wards of hospitals should take the flu vaccine. While the department will ensure the vaccination in government hospitals, private hospitals are strongly advised to do it, said State Health Commissioner D Randeep. The circular came out after health minister Dr K Sudhakar’s meeting with TAC members and senior officers on Monday. ICMR had recently reported a spike in viral fevers, especially the H3N2 variant of Influenza A virus, across the country.

Influenza vaccines are given to healthcare workers every year; they were discontinued after 2019 due to Covid, and will now be resumed in all 31 districts, said a press release from Dr Sudhakar. The circular also asks District Health Officers (DHOs) to ensure that sufficient doses of the antiviral tablet Oseltamivir is available in all health facilities, along with PPE kits for healthcare workers.

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DHOs also have to ensure regular surveillance of ILI/SARI cases, with appropriate sample collection and reporting of results on the government’s IDSP-IHIP portal. “The central government in its guidelines has set a target of 25 tests per week. We are screening 25 cases of SARI and ILI from Victoria and Vani Vilas Hospitals weekly to keep track of the variants,” Dr Sudhakar said.

He added that a committee has been formed to cap the price of diagnostic tests for flu. Testing will be made available for low rates; the fee will be fixed after the committee submits its report, he said.

Besides, the circular says that in case of a SARI death with Covid-negative test report, the DHO should send the sample for panel tests to the nearest Virus Research & Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL). DHOs should also create awareness among the public about symptomatic management of the flu and avoiding self-medication with antibiotics.
Dr Sudhakar said there was no need to panic as the H3N2 virus is self-limiting; it lasts for 5-7 days with minimal morbidity and mortality.

However, high-risk groups like infants, very elderly, pregnant women and those with immunodeficient conditions and on long-term medication, especially steroids, can have symptoms up to three weeks. Flu symptoms include fever, chills, malaise, loss of appetite, body aches, nausea, sneezing and prolonged dry cough, says the circular.

Adenovirus more prominent

Even as ICMR's surveillance pan-India had shown a high proportion of the H3N2 cases, data from NIV Bangalore shows that in Karnataka adenovirus may be more prominent. Of the 135 samples NIV sequenced from across the state since January, the majority (51.2%) of cases were of adenovirus. This was followed by H3N2 (19.2%) and H1N1 (14.8%), both of which are variants of Influenza A. The other viruses identified were Influenza B and RSV-B, at 7.4 per centeach.