India registers first HMPV positive patient in Bengaluru
An 8-month-old baby was found to be positive with HMPV in Bengaluru, making it the first such case in India
[Representative image]
Bengaluru: An 8-month-old baby was found to be positive with HMPV in Bengaluru, making it the first such case in India.
What is said as the first case of HMPV positive patient in India came to notice in Baptist Hospital in the northern part of the city.
The Karnataka Health Department however clarified the sample was not tested in their labs.
The Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) is not a new virus as it was first detected in 2001 in the Netherlands, and Cambodia also detected the disease among children between 2007 and 2009, the MoH said.
Health experts however were alarmed after it was recently detected in China leading to crowded hospitals and widespread panic.
China has also downplayed the world's concerns, passing it off as an "annual occurrence in winter".
'No travel history'
Bengaluru reported first HMPV positive case days after authorities in India said there's nothing to worry about.
The child, whose sample was collected on January 02, does not have any travel history. The case was conveyed to the Union Health Ministry, local media reports said.
The Union Health Ministry earlier said India is fully prepared to manage respiratory illnesses with surveillance mechanisms indicating no unusual surge in cases.
The ministry on Saturday conducted a joint monitoring group meeting to discuss the reports of rising cases of respiratory illnesses in China in the past few weeks.
HMPV Symptoms
The HMPV causes respiratory diseases with symptoms similar to flu, including fever, cough, nasal congestion, sore throat, and sneezing.
"The virus can cause serious illness among infants, children, the elderly over 65 of age or people with weakened immune systems," the Cambodia's Ministry of Health (MoH) said.
HMPV was not a new virus as it was first detected in 2001 in the Netherlands, and Cambodia also detected the disease among children between 2007 and 2009, the MoH said.
According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Western Pacific Region Office (WPRO) data from December 16-22, 2024 there has been an increase in acute respiratory infections across China. These include seasonal influenza, rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and HMPV.
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