Bengaluru Reports India's First Case Of HMPV Virus; 2 Babies Test Positive: Health Ministry

Bengaluru, India: Amid reports of a new virus outbreak in China after the COVID-19 pandemic, called HMPV, Bengaluru on Monday detected the country’s first Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV). The virus was detected in two infants—an eight-month-old male and a three-month-old female—though the babies do not have any travel history. The case was confirmed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said the Karnataka Health Department.

In a statement, the Health Ministry underlined that the HMPV is already in circulation globally, including in India, adding that the cases of respiratory illness have been reported in various countries. It also pointed out that as of now there is no unusual surge as per the available data.

Read Also: Five Years After Covid Crisis, China Grapples With New Virus Outbreak: Report

The three-month-year-old was diagnosed with HMPV after being admitted to Baptist hospital in Bengaluru, while the the eight-month-year old tested positive for the virus on January 3 after admitting to same hospital. The former has been recovered and since discharged while the latter is currently undergoing treatment, according to the Health Ministry.

Read Also: HMPV: Telangana Issues Advisory

“The recent preparedness drill conducted across the country has shown that India is well equipped to hand any potential increase in respiratory illness, and public health interventions can be deployed promptly if needed,” the ministry added in the release.

The information regarding the case was conveyed to the Union Health Ministry, though it was not clear if the same strain of HMPV was causing the spike in China.

The Union Health Ministry had conducted a joint monitoring meeting to discuss the reports of rising cases of respiratory illnesses in China in the past few weeks. The health ministry will continue to monitor the situation closely, news agency PTI quoted a health ministry official, adding that the situation in China was not unusual.

After China reported a new HMPV virus, panic has gripped people across the country, especially fearing a Covid-19-like outbreak that had spread across the world, causing complete lockdown and disruption of daily life, apart from losing lakhs of lives.

The respiratory illness with flu-like symptoms is reportedly spreading in China, where Covid-19 was first reported. However, China has called the virus a winter season disease, as the HMPV is mostly mild in nature and goes away within five days. The symptoms include common cold, in addition to other flu-related signs.

Notably, as the footage of people in China wearing masks emerged in social media as the disease has the potential to spread through cough, social media is abuzz discussing the issue, raising concerns of a similar Covid-like situation.

So far, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not issued any statement on the outbreak in China, suggesting that there is no state of emergency.