ICMR reports rise in pathogen spread, 11.1% samples test positive
Between January and March, 24,502 of 2,28,856 samples tested positive, while between April and June 2025, 26,055 of 2,26,095 samples were pathogen-positive
Indian Council of Medical Research
New Delhi, Nov 3: Pathogens were detected in 11.1% of the 4.5 lakh patients tested by laboratories under the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), as part of ongoing efforts to identify viral infections of public health concern.
The top five pathogens detected were Influenza A in acute respiratory infection (ARI)/ severe acute respiratory infections (SARI cases), dengue virus among acute fever and haemorrhagic fever cases, Hepatitis A in jaundice cases, Norovirus in among acute diarrheal disease (ADD) outbreaks and Herpes simplex virus (HSV) in Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) cases.
The report revealed a rise in infection rates from 10.7% in the first quarter of 2025 to 11.5% in the second quarter, indicating a growing spread of infectious diseases.
According to the Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDL) network of ICMR, between January and March, 24,502 of 2,28,856 samples tested positive, while between April and June 2025, 26,055 of 2,26,095 samples were pathogen-positive — an increase of 0.8 percentage points over the previous quarter.
Experts said the findings highlight the need for enhanced surveillance and continuous monitoring of infection trends across the country.
According to a senior scientist while this increase may not appear large, it should not be underestimated – it could serve as a warning for seasonal diseases and emerging infections.
If we continue tracking quarterly changes in infection rates, future epidemics could be prevented in time. The VRDL network acts as an early warning system for the country.
The ICMR report found that between April and June this year, 191 disease cluster were investigated and infectious diseases such as mumps, measles, rubella, dengue, chikungunya, rotavirus, norovirus, varicella zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and astrovirus were identified.
Between January and March, 389 disease clusters were investigated and infectious diseases such as mumps, measles, rubella, hepatitis, dengue, chikungunya, rotavirus, influenza, Leptospira, Varicella zoster virus and Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were identified.
From 2014-2024, more than 40 lakh samples were tested with pathogen identified in 18.8 per cent.
The VRDLN expanded from 27 laboratories in 2014 to 165 laboratories across 31 States and UTs by 2025. Through this network, 2,534 disease clusters have been identified across the country so far.
PTI