Pakistan, Dec. 17 -- The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has issued a flu advisory for hospitals. Officials warned about rising seasonal influenza H3N2 cases. The advisory focuses on symptoms, management, and sample collection from suspected patients. Authorities want early detection and control to prevent a severe outbreak.

The advisory instructs district health officers and hospital directors to submit samples to the Public Health Reference Laboratory at Khyber Medical University. Influenza A spreads quickly and causes severe illness in adults, children, pregnant women, and people with chronic conditions. The health department reported 340,856 suspected influenza-like illness (ILI) cases nationwide.

Experts warned that limited he...