India Monitoring Spread of HMPV Viruses in China, No Cause of Concern Now: UHM
NEW DELHI, Jan 3: India is closely monitoring cases of respiratory and seasonal influenza in the country amid the scare over alleged outbreak of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday.
The Ministry maintained that while China had reported a rise in respiratory illness, particularly HMPV, India hadn’t registered any unusual spike in winter respiratory diseases.
China is experiencing a surge in HMPV cases, particularly in children under 14 years of age. Symptoms include cough, fever, and shortness of breath, with potential complications like bronchitis and pneumonia. The country has seen cases rise in its northern provinces, Reuters had reported. Cases of HMPV had been reported in 2011-12 in the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
The Union Health Ministry’s National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is closely monitoring respiratory and seasonal influenza cases in the country and is in touch with international agencies, noted a senior official.
The Director-General of Health Services Atul Goel told reporters on Friday that no case of the respiratory illness — HMPV — has been reported in the country yet. Stating that the Union government was closely monitoring news about the possible HMPV outbreak in China, he added that as of now, the Central government sees no cause for alarm.
“HMPV is like any other respiratory virus that causes flu-like symptoms mostly in the elderly and children,” said Dr Goel, adding that respiratory illnesses were common during winters and that hospitals in India were equipped to deal with them. “Special medicines are not needed because there are no anti-viral drugs against this. There are no major cases, in hospitals or as per Indian Council of Medical Research data,’’ he added.
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, the public health agency of the United States, HMPV can cause upper and lower respiratory disease in people of all ages, especially among young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems.
Discovered in 2001, HMPV belongs to the Pneumoviridae family along with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Broader use of molecular diagnostic testing has increased identification and awareness of HMPV as an important cause of upper and lower respiratory infection.
Symptoms commonly associated with HMPV include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath. Clinical symptoms of HMPV infection may progress to bronchitis or pneumonia and are similar to other viral infections that cause upper and lower respiratory infections. The estimated incubation period is three to six days, and the median duration of illness can vary depending upon severity but is like other respiratory infections caused by viruses.
HMPV is most likely to spread from an infected person to others through secretions from coughing and sneezing, and close personal contact such as touching or shaking hands, touching objects or surfaces that have the viruses on them before touching the mouth, nose, or eyes.
(Manas Dasgupta)
