In a sign that infectious diseases continue to pose a significant public health challenge, pathogens were detected in 11.1 per cent of the 4.5 lakh patients tested by the network of laboratories under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The tests were conducted as part of ongoing efforts to identify viral infections of national health importance.
According to the latest ICMR report, the top five pathogens found across the country were Influenza A detected in acute respiratory infection (ARI) and severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) cases followed by dengue virus in acute fever and haemorrhagic fever cases, Hepatitis A in jaundice cases, Norovirus in acute diarrhoeal disease (ADD) outbreaks, and Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) in Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) cases. The report also revealed a rise in infection rates, with the spread of infectious diseases increasing from…
