Top News

One in 9 Indians carrying infectious diseases, says ICMR study
02 Nov 2025

A recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has revealed that pathogens were found in approximately one in every nine samples tested.

The research, which was conducted on over four lakh patients, found pathogens in 11.1% of the samples tested.

The study focused on detecting viral infections with public health significance through a network of laboratories under ICMR.

Five leading pathogens identified by ICMR
Pathogen details

The ICMR study identified five leading pathogens.

These were Influenza A in acute respiratory infection/severe acute respiratory infections cases, dengue virus in acute fever and hemorrhagic fever cases, and Hepatitis A in jaundice cases.

Norovirus in acute diarrheal disease outbreaks, and Herpes simplex virus (HSV) in Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) cases were also identified.

The findings highlight the prevalence of these infectious diseases among the tested samples.

Infection rate increased from previous quarter
Infection increase

The spread of infectious diseases has increased from 10.7% in Q1 to 11.5% in Q2 of 2025, the ICMR report said.

The Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDL) network of ICMR found that out of 2,28,856 samples from January-March period, pathogens were detected in 24,502 (10.7%).

From April to June this year, out of a total sample size of 2,26,095 tested during this period, pathogens were found in 26,055 (11.5%).

Senior scientist emphasizes need for monitoring infection trends
Monitoring importance

The increase in infection rate by 0.8% over the previous quarter highlights the need for improved monitoring of infection trends.

A senior scientist said this rise may not seem significant, but it shouldn't be ignored as it could indicate seasonal diseases and emerging infections.

Regular tracking of quarterly changes in infection rates can help avert future epidemics on time.