Bengaluru: Three instances of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) were recorded in India today: a 2-month-old in Ahmedabad, an 8-month-old recovering at a Bengaluru hospital, and a 3-month-old discharged infant. This represents the first instances of HMPV documented from India.
The sick newborns and their family had no recent travel history, so excluding exposure from other nations or areas.
“Part of ICMR’s continuous efforts to track respiratory diseases across the nation, regular surveillance for several respiratory virus infections helped to identify both cases. The Centre said in a statement on the two Bengaluru instances, “HMPV is already in circulation globally, including in India, and cases of respiratory illnesses associated with HMPV have been reported in various countries”.
The youngster in Ahmedabad was on a ventilator earlier, but his health is stable today.
“HMPV (infection) was identified in the patient on December 26, but we learnt about it today as the private hospital reported it to us late,” chief medical officer Bhavin Solanki of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation said.
Today the Health Ministry called a conference on HMPV preparedness.
Often causing minor symptoms like a cold, the respiratory virus HMPV can cause various problems, especially in newborns, the elderly, and individuals with compromised immune systems. Sometimes the virus aggravates chronic respiratory disorders or causes pneumonia. Usually, cases pick up in the winter and early spring.
Especially in light of recent reports of rising respiratory diseases in China, the Centre said on Sunday that it is tracking HMPV and other respiratory viruses. Comprising officials from the World Health Organisation (WHO), National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and other health agencies, a Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) met on January 4 to assess the situation.
Chinese respiratory infections fit seasonal fluctuations brought on by viruses including influenza, RSV, and HMPV. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare claims current surveillance data from India shows no extraordinary increase in respiratory illnesses.
The Centre has expanded laboratory capacity for HMPV testing in line with prudence. Together with other respiratory diseases like influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI), the ICMR will track HMPV trends all year long. Respiratory illnesses are still tracked all throughout the nation by a strong network of surveillance systems run by ICMR and the Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP).
Hospitals have been instructed to secure the availability of key medications, enhance isolation procedures for suspected cases, and quickly report ILI and SARI cases via the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP).
