Dr Harshal R Salve, additional professor at the Center for Community Medicine at AIIMS, New Delhi, told IANS: “Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is not a new virus. It has been a part of the flu viruses circulating in India for a long time. So “Most of India's population has developed immunity to it.” He added that “the likelihood of serious illness is very low”.
HMPV was first discovered in 2001 and is part of the Pneumoviridae family along with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Symptoms associated with HMPV include cough, fever, nasal congestion and shortness of breath.” Like any other flu virus, elderly people, children and people with co-morbidities should be cautious. There is no need to panic and People should avoid spreading rumors,” Salve said. The two cases from Karnataka were detected by ICMR through routine surveillance in a 3-month-old girl and an 8-month-old boy.
Both had a history of bronchopneumonia – a form of pneumonia, an infection of the lungs, and were admitted to a private hospital. Bronchopneumonia affects the alveoli in both the lungs and the bronchi. The health ministry said the girl has been “discharged”, while the child is “now recovering”. In the third case, a child from Rajasthan was admitted to a private hospital in Chandkheda, Ahmedabad, after showing symptoms of cold and cough. Had gone. The report quoted civic officials as saying that the child is now stable.
“HMPV is not a new virus. It commonly causes colds in children and some adults. For self-limited colds, we do not do expensive tests to find out which specific virus is causing it. So , Detecting this virus after testing is not unusual or worrying,” Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, chairman of the Kerala state IMA research cell, told IANS. “Throughout the world, HMPV is a well-known cause of the common cold,” he said.
