In the wake of the spike in swine flu cases in Delhi, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday called an emergency review meeting, which was attended by Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh and senior officials from the Health department, among others. The Capital has reported 2,308 swine flu cases so far this year, accounting for the vast majority of influenza infections.“We held a meeting on H1N1 and dengue, in which we also invited officials from the NDMC, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, and Cantonment areas,” Singh said after the meeting, adding, “I would like to convey through all your channels that there is absolutely no need for panic anywhere. Everything is under control. Our hospitals have sufficient beds, doctors, and medicines available.”H1N1 is a specific subtype of the Influenza A virus. Singh said,“Approximately 3,000 patients have come in with H1N1, including both the reported variants, and they are recovering and being discharged. If we talk about H1N1, there are 2,308 cases. The other variant has approximately 600–650 cases. We have detected 2,200 dengue cases, as of yesterday; that is our latest report. There have been no deaths. No patient is in a serious condition, and no one is on a ventilator or in the ICU. Patients are coming in with normal fever symptoms, receiving treatment, and recovering well before being discharged.”Meanwhile, Dr Rajiv Bahl, Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) reiterated on Tuesday that there was no need to worry as the mortality due to the viral infection has remained low. He added that there was no need for people to get tested or get the flu shot. “Only the people who are at a high risk of severe disease — such as those over the age of 65 years and those who have a compromised immune system — may get the shot if they are keen, after consulting their doctor,” he said, adding, “There is no need for people to get tested either because the disease is self-limiting. Only those who have severe disease and need hospitalisation may need to get tested on advice of their doctor.”Amid the rise in cases, the Directorate of Education in Delhi has also stepped in. In a circular on Monday, the Directorate’s School Branch (Health) advised all government, government-aided and private unaided schools in Delhi to strengthen awareness and preventive practices against seasonal influenza and H1N1, urging a “Healthy School – Healthy Community” approach — including respiratory and hand hygiene, avoiding self-medication, and disseminating the advisory through morning assemblies and parent communication channels. Districts have been asked to monitor compliance and report back by August 31.A senior doctor at AIIMS Delhi told The Indian Express, “There is no need to panic. We are seeing cases which are mostly non-serious, and they get alright with time. Like we used to get flu in our childhood, this is like that — only a few with co-morbidities are at a larger risk. The rest should focus on increasing their immunity, get vaccine shots.” Tabshir Shams covers health for The Indian Express. He holds a Master's degree in International Relations from South Asian University. Before joining The Indian Express, he interned at The Hindu from December 2025 to June 2026, where he assisted in the research and editing of a book on delimitation published by The Hindu Group Publications. During this time, he also wrote for The Hindu's Text & Context section, on subjects ranging from Pakistan's military establishment to Bangladesh's elections, and reported a Spotlight feature on a jute mill in Samastipur and its ripple effects on labour migration and the local economy. In July 2025, he interned at The Indian Express, where he wrote several explainers on international relations alongside a health report. His Master's thesis examines civil-military relations in Pakistan, with a focus on the post-2019 period. ... Read MoreAnonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram