6 HMPV Cases In India So Far, Latest Infections In Two Children In Chennai — Updates

A two-month-old boy who was admitted to a private hospital in Ahmedabad has been detected with the Human Metapneumovirus infection.

Six cases of HMPV virus have been reported in India so far.

Source : Pixabay

Six cases of the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) have been reposted from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Gujarat on Monday. 

Union Health Minister JP Nadda has said that there is no reason to worry and added that the government is closely monitoring the situation.

While the Karnataka, Gujarat, and Maharashtra governments assured that there was no cause for alarm, the Delhi government directed all hospitals in the capital to remain fully prepared to manage a potential surge in respiratory illnesses. The Union Health Ministry and several states have amped up surveillance and preventive measures after the HMPV outbreak was first reported in China. 

Here are all the updates regarding the Human Metapneumovirus: 

- Two children have tested positive for Human Metapneumovirus and are currently undergoing treatment, a health official said on Monday. These two are the first cases to be reported from the city from two hospitals.  

- A fresh case of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) have been reported in Kolkata on Monday, where a 6-month-old child was detected with the virus. However, the child is now healthy after receiving treatment at a private hospital, ABP Ananda reported. In the latest case from Kolkata, the child is said to be healthy after the treatment. The child had came to Kolkata from Mumbai with his parents in November 2024. After arriving in Kolkata, the child fell ill and his condition deteriorated immediately after getting off the plane. Doctors said that the child had a fever and had other symptoms like vomiting, upset stomach and breathing difficulties. The child received treatment for three weeks. 

- A two-month-old boy who was admitted to a private hospital in Ahmedabad has been detected with the Human Metapneumovirus infection. Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel asked people not to panic and said the state government had made preparations to tackle the viral infection.  

- Before this, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has detected two cases of HMPV in Karnataka through routine surveillance for multiple respiratory viral pathogens.

- The Union Health Ministry has emphasised that HMPV is already in circulation globally, including in India, and cases of respiratory illnesses associated with it have been reported in various countries.

- The Directorate of Medical Education, Karnataka has issued an advisory titled 'Do Not Panic, Be Aware', after two cases of HMPV were reported in Bengaluru. The advisory said that hospital have been instructed to report influenza-like illness and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI) cases. It further ordered the districts to ensure availability of necessary medications and maintain proper documentation of cases.

- The Telangana health department, while emphasising that there is no HMPV outbreak (having compared data of respiratory illnesses in December 2023 to those in December 2024), has urged citizens to follow certain preventive measures to protect against respiratory infections in general.

- Dr Praveen Gupta, Principal Director & Chief of Neurology, Fortis Hospital has said that in some cases, the HMPV can travel to the brain, or it can trigger our immunity, which can cause inflammation in the brain, what is known as immune-mediated encephalitis. "The inflammation of the brain leads to symptoms like fever, vomiting, decreased consciousness, seizures, and weakness in the body, or paralysis. This can be a very serious disorder which is caused by an attack of abnormal immunity triggered by the virus on the brain cells. This can be diagnosed by doing an MRI of the brain," Gupta said. "We need to treat it with medicines to reduce brain pressure, treat fever, treat seizures, and immunomodulatory medicines which normalize the body's immune reactions, to prevent and heal the injury to the brain, which can help people to get better," he added.