HMPV: States asked to ramp up surveillance for respiratory diseases; 2 suspected cases in Nagpur

NEW DELHI: The Centre has advised states to step up surveillance for respiratory illnesses, including ILI and SARI, and spread awareness about the prevention of transmission of the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) after five cases were detected in India.

On Tuesday, two suspected cases of the virus were reported from Maharashtra’s Nagpur. Both the patients were discharged after treatment, a senior official said.

Their samples have been sent to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Nagpur and the National Institute of Virology in Pune, the official said.

India reported its first HMPV cases on Monday after five children tested positive in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat. Union Health Minister J P Nadda had said that the government was closely monitoring the situation and there was no reason to worry.

HMPV is a globally recognised respiratory virus. It is a viral pathogen that causes respiratory infections in people of all age groups.

Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava on Monday chaired a virtual meeting with states and Union Territories to take stock of respiratory illnesses and HMPV cases in the country and public health measures for their management, a health ministry statement said.

The meeting was held amid reports of a surge in HMPV cases in China and on a day when India reported five cases.

During the meeting, it was reiterated that the data from IDSP does not indicate any unusual rise in influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illnesses (SARI) cases anywhere in the country, the statement said.

Union health secretary Srivastava emphasised that there is no cause for concern for the public as HMPV has been present globally since 2001, the statement said.

She advised states to strengthen and review the ILI/SARI surveillance.

Srivastava reiterated that an increase in respiratory illnesses is usually seen during the winter months and that the country is well prepared for any potential surge in such cases, the statement said.

The two suspected cases of HMPV detected in Nagpur, both children aged seven and 14 years, were treated in the outpatient department of a private hospital. Their samples were tested and marked as suspected, Nagpur District Collector Vipin Itankar told reporters.

“The media reports about HMPV patients in Nagpur are wrong,” he asserted.

Itankar said there were no HMPV patients in Nagpur, and there was no need to panic.

While health officials on Tuesday reiterated that there was no reason to ring the alarm bells, several state governments said they were on alert.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin is constantly monitoring the situation, Health and Family Welfare Minister Ma Subramanian told a press conference here.

Of the five cases reported on Monday, two were from Tamil Nadu.

The virus has not created any big impact in India, and especially in the state, the minister said, adding that the two patients, aged 45 and 69 years, who tested positive on Monday were “doing well”.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government asked all medical facilities and laboratories in the state to remain prepared to tackle any exigency.

After holding a high-level meeting in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday morning, Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling said a small number of HMPV cases have been detected in some parts of the country. However, no case has been detected in Odisha so far. So, there is no need to panic, he said.

Meanwhile, the BJP in Karnataka urged the state government not to take the virus lightly as it has created “havoc” in China.

In the wake of two children testing positive for the virus in Bengaluru on Monday, Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, R Ashoka, said the administration should immediately check the status of oxygen availability and ICU beds in government hospitals.

Addressing reporters here, Ashoka said Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao’s statement asking people to stay calm was aimed at preventing people from getting panicked, but no virus should be taken lightly when the public does not know anything about it. (PTI)