Gujarat Reports Another Human Metapneumovirus Case; Government Urges Calm
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New Delhi, Jan 6 (NationPress) A new case of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) has emerged in Gujarat on Monday, increasing the total to three confirmed cases nationwide.
The infected individual is a two-year-old child from the Chandkheda area of Ahmedabad.
This child, originally from Rajasthan, was hospitalized at a private facility in Chandkheda after displaying symptoms such as cold and cough. Reports indicate that the child is currently in a stable condition.
This report follows the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare's announcement on the same day regarding two cases of HMPV in Bengaluru, involving infants aged three and eight months.
The infection was identified through routine surveillance in a three-month-old girl and an eight-month-old boy in Bengaluru, both of whom had a history of bronchopneumonia, a type of pneumonia affecting both the alveoli and bronchi.
The health ministry's statement mentioned, "Both cases were identified through routine surveillance for multiple respiratory viral pathogens as part of ICMR's ongoing efforts to monitor respiratory illnesses across the country.”
It was noted that the baby girl “has been discharged”, while the baby boy “is currently recovering”.
The Ministry emphasized that neither of the affected individuals had any history of international travel.
The Karnataka government clarified that HMPV is already present in India, stating, “We cannot label this as the first case in the country. The virus has been circulating here; this detection is merely confirmation of its presence.” This was expressed by Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao during a media briefing before an emergency meeting.
The Ministry also acknowledged that HMPV circulates globally, including within India, with reports of respiratory illnesses linked to HMPV emerging from Malaysia and several countries, particularly China.
The Union Health Ministry is actively monitoring the situation through all available surveillance channels, confirming that there has been no unusual increase in cases of Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) or Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) across the country.
The ICMR will continue to observe the trends in HMPV circulation throughout the year.
In the meantime, the ministry reiterated that India is well-prepared to address any potential rise in respiratory illnesses, and public health interventions can be promptly implemented if necessary.
HMPV was first identified in 2001 and belongs to the Pneumoviridae family, which also includes the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Symptoms associated with HMPV typically include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath.
