New flu virus in India likely from Australia

Malathy Iyer & Yogesh Naik, TNN, Sep 5, 2010, 04.36am
ISTMUMBAI: A virus that is new to the Indian shores could just be contributing to the current flu epidemic sweeping across the state, especially Pune, say doctors.

While the swine flu-causing H1N1 virus is also an import from Mexico, the new virus that has got National Institute of Virology doctors scrambling for data, is considered to be Australian in origin.

Called the Australian Ross River virus, it is similar to the dengue and chikungunya-causing viruses. Like chikungunya (CHIK-V), it, too, causes arthritis-like pain in the joints.

However, the talk of the Australian virus has incensed state health officials, some of whom feel it could be a covert operation to sell expensive diagnostic kits. "This year, we are seeing a lot of variation in viruses and their manifestations, be it dengue or chikunguya. What is being touted as the Ross River virus could just be a new variant of CHIK-V," said a senior doctor from the health department.

On Saturday, health minister Suresh Shetty told TOI that four samples from patients admitted to Sassoon Hospital in Pune had been sent to NIV to test for the Ross River virus.

"We have got one sample's result as CHIK-V, and are awaiting results for the other samples," he said, adding that NIV director Dr A C Misra was confident that the other samples too would be negative for the Australian virus.

However, a senior health officer who wanted to be anonymous said that NIV had isolated the virus in eight samples.