A new study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has revealed that every ninth person tested in India was infected with some infectious disease. In this research, germs were found in 11.1 percent of 4.5 lakh patients, which is a very serious case. The report warns that infection rates are increasing, which could be a sign of a major health crisis in the future. Let us now know what questions this report raises regarding the health of Indians.
What does the report say?
Publishing data from its Virus Research and Diagnostic Labs (VRDL) network, ICMR said that of 228,856 samples collected between January and March 2025, 24,502, or 10.7 per cent, were found to be pathogen-positive. Of the 226,095 samples tested between April and June 2025, 26,055, or 11.5 per cent, were found positive. Thus, the infection rate increased by 0.8 percentage points compared to the previous quarter, indicating the need for close monitoring of infection trends.
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These findings point to the continued spread of various pathogen-borne diseases across the country. Experts say these figures highlight the need for tight surveillance, better hygiene, vaccination and prompt treatment to prevent the spread of the infection in both urban and rural areas. From 2014-2024, more than 4 million samples were tested, of which 18.8 percent were identified as infectious.
What infectious bacteria were found?
According to the report, the top 5 pathogens include influenza A, dengue, hepatitis A, norovirus and herpes simplex virus.
The report found that 191 disease clusters were examined between April and June 2025 and infectious diseases such as mumps, measles, rubella, dengue, chikungunya, rotavirus, norovirus, varicella zoster virus, Epstein-Barr virus and astrovirus were identified.
Between January and March 2025, 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 were identified.
What do experts say?
ICMR’s Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) network serves as an ‘early warning system’ for the country. According to its senior scientist, “Although this increase may not seem large, it should not be underestimated. It may serve as a warning for seasonal diseases and emerging infections.” If we continue to monitor quarterly changes in infection rates, future pandemics can be prevented in time.