HMPV: The Fresh Case In Gujarat Takes Tally To Three In India

With a fresh case detected in Gujarat, the toll of Human Metapneumovirus cases reaches 3 in India. A two-year-old child from Chandkheda’s area of Ahmedabad has been infected with HMPV.

The report, quoting, a civic body, said that the child hails from Rajasthan and was admitted to a hospital in Chandkheda following complaints of cold and cough.

This marks as third HMPV case in India as the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday informed of two babies- aged three and 8-month-old- getting infected with the virus in Bengaluru.
Both the babies have a history of bronchopneumonia- a form of Pneumonia- a lung infection. Bronchopneumonia affects both the alveoli and bronchi in the lungs.

Also Read: HMPV Virus: 8-Month-Old Baby Becomes India’s First Case of HMPV In Bengaluru

“Both cases were identified through routine surveillance for multiple respiratory viral pathogens, as part of ICMR’s ongoing efforts to monitor respiratory illnesses across the country,” the health ministry statement said.

The Ministry had highlighted the fact that none of the first two infected babies had any history of international travel.

The Karnataka administration stated that the virus already exists in India, however, no one had been tested for the infection.

“We cannot call it the first case in the country. The virus already exists here. The individual may have been tested for this specific virus, and it has been detected, that’s all,” said Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, while speaking to the media, ahead of an emergency meeting on the matter.

Notably, ICMR will continue to track the cases and circulation of HMPV virus throughout the year.

Moreover, HMPV was first discovered in 2001 and is part of the Pneumoviridae family along with the Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
The symptoms commonly associated with HMPV include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath.