Three cases of respiratory distress-causing HMPV – one in Ahmedabad and two in Bengaluru- have been detected amid fears of the virus’s spread, as China also recorded a surge in infections. Following the two cases in Bengaluru, the Karnataka government issued an advisory, urging citizens to avoid going to public places if they’re symptomatic and to wear masks in crowded areas to reduce the risk of transmission.
An eight-month-old boy and a three-month-old girl tested positive in Bengaluru for the virus and did not have any history of international travel, authorities said. In Ahmedabad, HMPV was found in a two-month-old child, who is undergoing treatment at a private hospital and is stable. The infant’s family, who belong to Rajasthan’s Dungarpur, reached Ahmedabad for treatment.
The cases come amid reports of a rise in viral infections in China that have been linked to the human metapneumovirus (HMPV), a respiratory pathogen that was first detected in 2001. The Indian government, while requesting people not to panic, has previously said that HMPV is not a new virus and has been in circulation globally and within the country.
The two HMPV cases detected in Bengaluru had a history of bronchopneumonia, a form of pneumonia. The three-month-old has already been discharged while the eight-month-old tested positive for the virus on Sunday and is recovering.
Bronchopneumonia, also known as bronchial pneumonia, is a type of pneumonia that involves inflammation of both the bronchi and the alveoli (the tiny air sacs) in the lungs. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and include fever, cough, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, sweating and chills, headaches, muscle aches, fatigue and loss of appetite. According to the Union Health Ministry, the two HMPV cases in Bengaluru were identified through routine surveillance for various respiratory viral pathogens, as part of the Indian Council of Medical Research’s ongoing efforts to monitor respiratory illnesses across the country.
Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said the eight-month-old baby boy is doing fine and would likely be discharged on Tuesday. Rao said, “This is an existing virus. It is not the first case. Certain category of people have respiratory problems due to the virus. The virus was first found in the Netherlands in 2001”.
Urging people to “not press the panic button”, he said the state government held a meeting with medical officers and told them to have further meetings with ICMR and the central government. He added, “We don’t know if this strain came from China. They had no history of international travel. They had come from Tirupati”.
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