'HMPV isn't new, majority Indian population immune to it,' say experts

The Human Metapneumovirus HMPV is not a new virus and most of the Indian population are immune to it said health experts on Monday even as the number of reported cases climbed to three in the countryOn Monday health officials in the country reported three cases of HMPV babies aged three and eightmonthold from Bengaluru Karnataka and a twoyearold child in Gujaratrsquos AhmedabadldquoHuman Metapneumovirus HMPV is not a new virus It has been part of the circulating flu virus in India for long Hence the majority of the Indian population has developed immunity against itrdquo Dr Harshal R Salve Additional Professor Centre for Community Medicine at AIIMS New Delhi told IANSHe added that the ldquochances of a severe disease are very rarerdquoHMPV 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 breathldquoLike for any other flu viruses elderly people children and people with comorbidities must take care There is no need to create panic and one should stop rumourmongering in the publicrdquo Salve saidAlso ReadHMPV outbreak Has India panicked morethanChinaThe two cases from Karnataka were detected via routine surveillance by ICMR in a 3monthold girl and an 8monthold boyBoth had a history of bronchopneumonia a form of pneumonia a lung infection and were admitted to a private hospital Bronchopneumonia affects both the alveoli in the lungs and the bronchiThe Health Ministry informed that while the baby girl ldquohas been dischargedrdquo the baby boy ldquois now recoveringrdquoIn the third case the child from Rajasthan was admitted to a private hospital in Chandkhedarsquos area of Ahmedabad after showing symptoms of cold and cough The child is stable now reports quoted civic officials as sayingldquoHMPV is not a new virus It commonly causes colds among children and also some adults For selflimiting colds we donrsquot do expensive tests to diagnose which specific virus it is due to Therefore the finding of this virus upon testing is not anything unusual or worrisomerdquo Dr Rajeev Jayadevan Chairman of the Kerala State IMA Research Cell told IANSldquoAll over the world HMPV is a wellknown cause of common coldrdquo he addedHMPV is already in circulation globally including in India and cases of respiratory illnesses associated with HMPV have been reported in various countries particularly in ChinaldquoCommon cold is more common in winter therefore it is being reported from China at this time People should not get the impression that a new virus from China has now reached Bangalorerdquo Jayadevan told IANSNotably the three cases of HMPV have no travel history Thus it currently remains unknown whether the cases are related to the outbreak seen in ChinaldquoThey infected children have not traveled to China Malaysia or any other country The outbreak in China is linked to a new variant of HMPV We do not yet have full details and the government is still gathering informationrdquo said Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao while speaking to the medialdquoHMPV isnrsquot new What we donrsquot know is whether the strain is novel and has a virulence thatrsquos different from what wersquove experienced in the past Unless one knows that it is a novel strain cases have been detected all the time Hopefully whole genome sequencing and clinical information will clarify soonrdquo said Lancelot Pinto an Indian pulmonologist and epidemiologist in a post on social media platform XMeanwhile the government has issued precautionary measures such as covering mouth and nose with handkerchiefs or tissue paper while coughing or sneezing washing hands often with soap and water or alcoholbased sanitizer avoiding crowded places staying away from public places while having fever cough or sneezingThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever