Pune:Intensive care units (ICUs) across the city have reached full capacity as both paediatric and adult facilities struggle to accommodate a surge in severe influenza infections and dengue complications. With hospitals reporting waitlists for beds, medical experts said the current season was proving more severe than the previous year.Dr Sagar Lad, a neonatologist and paediatric intensivist at Jehangir and Sahyadri Hospitals, said, “Most children in the ICU are suffering from complications related to dengue and influenza, specifically the H3N2 strain. Both ICUs and general wards are full, and we currently have patients on the waitlist,” he said.Dr Lad attributed the spike to the prevailing rainy and cloudy weather, which facilitates viral transmission. “While weather doesn’t increase the viral load itself, high humidity, limited sunlight, and people spending more time in close proximity indoors create the perfect environment for respiratory viruses to spread,” he said.The pressure is equally high in adult wards, where H1N1 (swine flu) has emerged as the leading cause of severe respiratory distress. Dr Ameet Dravid, an infectious diseases specialist at Noble and Poona Hospitals, reported a marked increase in lower respiratory tract infections.“The majority of severe cases requiring ICU care are linked to H1N1, the pandemic strain. While most patients in outpatient departments present with typical upper respiratory symptoms like cough and cold, a significant portion is progressing to breathlessness and pneumonia,” Dr Dravid said. He added that while some Covid-19 and dengue patients are in the ICU, H1N1 remains the dominant threat.Data from the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) Metropolitan Surveillance Unit confirms a marked rise in H1N1 infections. While cases were negligible in the first quarter of 2026, they exploded in the monsoon months. Altogether, 225 cases have been recorded in August so far, compared with 35 in July, taking the 2026 total to 290 cases.Officials cautioned that the August figure is preliminary and likely to rise as data is updated. Doctors said these figures are a “vast underestimate,” as many patients with flu-like symptoms are treated without being officially tested for H1N1 or COVID-19.The surge has forced smaller nursing homes to take the overflow as major hospitals turn patients away. Dr Vijay Natarajan, medical superintendent at Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital, said the facility has been operating beyond capacity for over a month.“This is an annual cycle where respiratory and mosquito-borne diseases peak between June and Oct. However, with a growing population and no proportionate increase in healthcare beds, the shortage is felt much more acutely now,” Dr Natarajan said.The severity of the current wave has drawn comparisons to previous outbreaks. Dr Kapil Zirpe, pulmonologist and head of the neurotrauma unit at Ruby Hall Clinic, said, “This year, the surge feels like 2009 and 2011. We are seeing patients on ventilators and oxygen support in very serious condition.”Dr Zirpe said the younger populations are particularly at risk of spreading the virus due to increased socialisation and a lack of precautions, such as masking. “Many dismiss it as a common cold until it becomes severe,” he warned.Doctors said complications typically arise as the infection progresses. While a baseline percentage of the population inevitably develops severe symptoms, the risk multiplies as the overall infection rate in the city grows. Immunocompromised individuals and the elderly remain the most vulnerable to severe outcomes due to underlying comorbidities.Dr Deepali Ambike, head of paediatrics at YCM Hospital, said their paediatric ICU is also full. “Children who deteriorate are developing pneumonia and requiring ventilatory support. It is difficult to distinguish between Covid and H1N1 without routine testing, but the clinical reality is that the post-monsoon surge has hit us very hard,” she said.”
