Bengaluru, Jan 06 :
Three cases of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) have been detected in India so far, the Union health ministry said on Monday.
Out of three two cases were detected in Karnataka while one case was from Gujarat.
A three-month-old female infant with a history of bronchopneumonia was diagnosed with HMPV after being admitted to Baptist Hospital in Bengaluru. She has already been discharged, the ministry said.
An eight-month-old male infant with a history of bronchopneumonia tested positive for HMPV on January 3 after being admitted to Baptist Hospital. He is now recovering, it said.
It is important to note that
HMPV in India
neither of the patients have any history of international travel, the ministry underlined.
In Gujarat, a two-month-old boy was admitted to a private hospital in Ahmedabad with HMPV infection.
Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel asked people not to panic and said the state government has made preparations to tackle the viral infection.
The infant, who hails from Dungarpur in Rajasthan, was admitted to the hospital, located in Chandkheda locality here, on December 24 with symptoms of respiratory infection.
After tests, he was found positive for the HMPV, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s in-charge medical officer of health Bhavin Solanki said.
“HMPV (infection) was detected in the patient on December 26, but we learnt about it today as the private hospital reported it to us late,” Solanki said.
The patient was kept in isolation, the official said.
Earlier, the child was kept on a ventilator, and his condition is stable now, Solanki said.
The Union health ministry emphasised that HMPV is already in circulation globally, including in India, and cases of respiratory illnesses associated with it have been reported in various countries.
Furthermore, based on the current data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) network, there has been no unusual surge in Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) or Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases in the country, it added.
The ministry said it is monitoring the situation through all available surveillance channels. The ICMR will continue to track trends in HMPV circulation throughout the year.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is already providing timely updates regarding the situation in China to further inform the ongoing measures.
The recent preparedness drill conducted across the country has shown that India is well-equipped to handle any potential increase in respiratory illnesses and public health interventions can be deployed promptly if needed, the ministry stated.
Amid reports of rising cases of respiratory illnesses in China in the past few weeks, a meeting of the Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) was held under the chairmanship of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on Saturday.
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