Two children detected with HMPV in Nagpur, total cases in India increase to 7

Two youngsters, ages seven and fourteen, tested positive for Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) in Nagpur, bringing the total number of cases to seven. On January 3, the youngsters were sent to a private hospital in the city’s Ramdaspeth neighborhood for fever and cough treatment. After tests, medical officials determined that the two were infected with HMPV, a virus related to Covid-19 that affects the upper and lower respiratory tract and causes symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose, and sore throat. The Maharashtra health department is on alert for a probable increase in the number of cases. People with a cough, fever, or any of the Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) have been advised to take further care.

The department has encouraged citizens in the state to keep calm and avoid panic. It will shortly provide guidelines for viral prevention and management. Following the Nagpur instances, Maharashtra Health Minister Prakash Abitkar has scheduled a meeting at 3 p.m. at St. George’s Hospital Health Centre. Union Minister of State for Health, Prataprao Jadhav, will also be in attendance. The two cases brought the overall number of HMPV infections in the nation to seven. A two-month-old boy hospitalized to a private hospital in Ahmedabad tested positive for the virus, while two illnesses were recorded in Bengaluru. Gujarat and Karnataka share a boundary with Maharashtra.

The remaining two instances were reported from Tamil Nadu. Despite the progressive increase in instances, Union Health Minister JP Nadda maintained on Monday that HMPV is not a novel virus and has been present internationally for several years since its discovery in 2001. He advised individuals to be calm, reassuring them that the Centre is actively monitoring the situation and taking essential precautions to protect public health.

On Tuesday, Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra evaluated the current scenario in light of the HMPV cases. He stated that there was no increase in respiratory ailments in the country and that strict surveillance was being conducted to detect such occurrences. The Health Secretary recommended states to increase and reassess respiratory disease surveillance, as well as raise public knowledge of preventative measures. The HMPV infection was initially discovered in the Netherlands in 2001, with many instances previously discovered in portions of India.