LIVE | HMPV: Chennai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad report cases as Bengaluru babies recover

A two-month-old boy admitted to a private hospital in Ahmedabad has been detected with Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) infection, an official said on Monday.

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.

Before this, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has detected two cases of HMPV in Karnataka through routine surveillance for multiple respiratory viral pathogens.

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 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 said.

The ministry said it is monitoring the situation through all available surveillance channels.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is already providing timely updates regarding the situation in China to further inform the ongoing measures.

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.

The Karnataka government has assured that there is no cause for alarm over HMPV, as it is already present in the country, after two cases were detected in Bengaluru.

According to Union Health Ministry, neither of the patients have any history of international travel.

"I don't think we should be pressing the panic button, because HMPV is not a new virus, it already exists. Reports suggest that it is the first case of HMPV in India, it is not true because HMPV is an existing virus, and a certain percentage of people do get affected by this virus and it is not something new," state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said.

Addressing reporters in Bengaluru, he said, “The eight-month-old child has no travel history, and they (family) are locals. They have not arrived from China or some other country. So, I don't think that there is any connection to that.”

The Minister explained that the outbreak of HMPV in China is said to involve a new variant. “We don't have the full details, and the government of India is yet to provide full details to us, and maybe they are also trying to get more information.”

“... HMPV itself isn’t new, it’s been around for a long time. It typically causes common symptoms like cold, flu, or cough. It's a self-limiting virus, it goes away after some time. I don’t think we should be calling this the first case.”

Earlier in the day, the health department said that the eight-month-old baby's case was detected at a private hospital in the state capital. They, however, clarified that the samples were not tested at the government lab and were awaiting confirmation.

The central government is closely monitoring the situation in China, Rao said. “We are also discussing this internally. I’ve instructed our officers to coordinate with ICMR and the Government of India. I'm having a meeting today to review any new information and determine the next steps.”

Responding to a question on any testing that needs to be done, the Minister said it will be looked into. “Whether it is causing any serious public health concern — that has to be first of all decided. Is it really a public health concern, just because one case has been detected? Has to be looked into. If you test anybody with a cold, they’ll have some virus in them,” he said.

Noting that one needs to take general precautions and should be careful, he said, “... If people are careful, it’s better for us — wash your hands, maintain some distance, especially if you have symptoms. Those things are already in the advisories that have been issued.”