HMPV Cases In India: 10-Month-Old Tests Positive In Assam, Was Admitted With Cold-Related Symptoms

(MENAFN- Live Mint) HMPV cases in India: Days after Human metapneumovirus cases were detected in Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, another case of the virus infection was confirmed in Assam. A 10-month-old child tested positive for HMPV after he was admitted to the hospital with cough and cold symptoms, PTI reported citing officials on Saturday.

Also Read | HMPV Case LIVE: Another case detected in Assam, officials say 'nothing to worry'

The child is undergoing treatment at Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh and is "stable" now, said AMCH Superintendent Dr Dhrubajyoti Bhuyan.

The HMPV infection was confirmed after the test samples were sent to the Indian Council of Medical Research for tests in influenza and flu-related cases as a routine practice.

HMPV cases in India: Assam's HMPV patient health update

The child is undergoing treatment and is stable now, said Dr Dhrubajyoti Bhuyan, adding that the virus is very common during the winter season and there is nothing concerning about the HMPV case.

"It was a routine test during which the HMPV infection was detected. The child is stable now. It is a common virus, and there is nothing to worry about," PTI quoted Bhuyan.

HMPV in Assam: Is it a matter of concern?

HMPV cases are not new in India and they have been detected in nearly all the states earlier as well. Calling the season's first HMPV case in Assam as 'nothing new', ICMR Senior Scientist Dr Biswajit Borkakoty said that more than a hundred HMPV cases have been detected in Dibrugarh since 2014.

“This is the first case this season. Every year it is detected, and nothing is new. We have got the sample from AMCH and this has been found positive for HMPV,” he told PTI.

What is HMPV?

Human metapneumovirus was detected for the first time in 2001. The virus belongs to the Pneumoviridae family and is one of the many respiratory viruses. The virus infection is usually a mild and self-limiting condition and most such patients recover on their own.

HMPV cases in India

At least 9 cases of HMPV have been detected across India in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka , Tamil Nadu, and Assam. Bengaluru reported HMPV infection in a three-month-old baby, who has been discharge, and in another eight-month-old baby. Another case was detected in Ahmedabad, and two more were reported in Tamil Nadu's Chennai and Salem. Meanwhile, Maharashtra has reported three cases.
Reports of a surge of cases in China of human metapneumovirus (hMPV), a common respiratory infection, have drawn headlines worldwide, reviving memories of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic just over five years ago, Reuters reported.
HMPV typically causes cold-like symptoms for a few days but can, in rare cases, lead to hospitalization among the very young, old or medically vulnerable. Unlike the virus that caused COVID-19, which was new then, HMPV was first identified in 2001 and has likely been circulating for much longer, scientists said.

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