- विज्ञापन -
New Delhi: A new case of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) has emerged in Gujarat, raising the total number of cases in India to three. A two-year-old child, currently stable, was hospitalized in a private facility in Chandkheda, Ahmedabad, after exhibiting cold and cough symptoms. The child hails from Rajasthan.
Earlier, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reported two HMPV cases involving infants in Bengaluru—one girl aged three months and one boy aged eight months. Both were identified through routine surveillance due to existing bronchopneumonia, a type of lung infection affecting both the bronchi and alveoli. While the baby girl has been discharged, the boy is recovering.
It’s important to note that neither child had a history of international travel. Karnataka’s Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao clarified that HMPV is not newly introduced to India; rather, the cases represent specific detections of a virus already present in the country.
The Ministry emphasized that HMPV has been circulating globally, with cases also reported in Malaysia and China. It assured that there is no significant increase in Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) or Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases in India.
The Union Health Ministry is closely monitoring the situation and reiterated that India is prepared to manage any potential rise in respiratory illnesses, with public health responses ready for prompt implementation if necessary. HMPV, first identified in 2001, belongs to the Pneumoviridae family, which includes the Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Typical symptoms of HMPV include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath.
