New Delhi: Experts have warned that there could be an outbreak of swine flu and other viral illnesses in the capital, flagging disruptions in flu vaccination for the last two years owing to the Covid pandemic.

With Delhi witnessing an increase in swine flu cases, they have also advised people to follow the mask mandate and adhere to social distancing norms.

Dr Vishakh Varma, senior consultant and HoD, Critical Care Medicine at Aakash Healthcare, said since the symptoms of swine flu are quite similar to the common cold, people often don’t take it seriously in the initial stages until it becomes critical.

“A swine flu patient usually goes through burning / sore throat, nose and abdominal pain and cough. There is an additional symptom of shortness of breath,” he added.

He stressed that it’s imperative to maintain good hydration, hand hygiene, cough hygiene (cough and sneezing in disposable tissue), and suitable disposal of this infected waste material.

Dr Manoj Goel, director, Pulmonology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, said due to the pandemic, the flu vaccination was disrupted which could be responsible for an increase in swine flu cases.

“There could be a swine flu outbreak due to the situation,” he said.

But how does one distinguish between the symptoms of Covid and swine flu?

Explaining the difference between the two infections, he said, “In Covid, the problem of respiratory distress arises in the second week and in the first week, patients have symptoms like fever, cough, etc but in the case of swine flu, shortness of breath, respiratory distress will start right from the first week.”

He asserted that masking up and following social distancing norms will help guard one against swine flu.