A three-month-old female infant with a history of bronchopneumonia was diagnosed with HMPV after being admitted to Baptist Hospital in Bengaluru. She has already been discharged
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The Union health ministry on Monday said that the Indian Council of Medical Research has detected two cases of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) in Karnataka through routine surveillance for multiple respiratory viral pathogens, reported news agency PTI.
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A three-month-old female infant with a history of bronchopneumonia was diagnosed with HMPV after being admitted to Baptist Hospital in Bengaluru. She has already been discharged, the Union health ministry said, reported PTI.
An eight-month-old male infant with a history of bronchopneumonia tested positive for HMPV on January 3 after being admitted to Baptist Hospital. He is now recovering, it said.
It is important to note that neither of the patients have any history of international travel, the ministry underlined.
It emphasised that HMPV outbreak 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 Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and 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 added.
The ministry said it is monitoring the situation through all available surveillance channels. The ICMR will continue to track trends in HMPV circulation throughout the year.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is already providing timely updates regarding the situation in China to further inform the ongoing measures.
The recent preparedness drill conducted across the country has shown that India is well-equipped to handle any potential increase in respiratory illnesses and public health interventions can be deployed promptly if needed, the ministry stated.
Well-prepared to handle respiratory illnesses, surveillance shows no unusual surge: Govt
In the wake of recent reports of an HMPV outbreak in China, India is keeping a close watch over the situation through all available channels and has also requested the WHO to share timely updates, the Health Ministry said on Saturday.
As a precautionary measure, the number of laboratories testing HMPV cases will be enhanced and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will monitor trends of HMPV for the entire year, it said.
A Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) meeting was held under the Chairmanship of the Directorate General of Health Services here on Saturday to discuss the situation.
Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Disaster Management (DM) Cell, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Emergency Medical Relief (EMR) Division and from hospitals, including AIIMS-Delhi, participated in the meeting.
After the detailed discussions, and based on the currently available information, it was agreed upon that the situation in China is not unusual in view of the ongoing flu season, said the ministry.
The reports also suggest that the cause of the present surge is Influenza virus, RSV and HMPV, the usual pathogens that are expected during the season, according to the ministry.
"The government is keeping a close watch over the situation through all available channels and WHO has also been requested to share timely updates regarding the situation in China," the ministry said.
These viruses are already in circulation globally, including India, the ministry said, adding physicians from hospitals also confirmed there is no surge in respiratory illness cases over the last few weeks other than the expected seasonal variation.
(With inputs from PTI)
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