Baby tests positive for HMPV in Ahmedabad; govt asks people not to panic

A two-month-old boy admitted to a private hospital in Ahmedabad has been detected with Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) infection, an official said on Monday.

Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel asked people not to panic and said the state government has made preparations to tackle the viral infection.

The infant, who hails from Dungarpur in Rajasthan, was admitted to the hospital, located in Chandkheda locality here, on December 24 with symptoms of respiratory infection.

After tests, he was found positive for the HMPV, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's in-charge medical officer of health Bhavin Solanki said.

"HMPV (infection) was detected in the patient on December 26, but we learnt about it today as the private hospital reported it to us late," Solanki said.

The patient was kept in isolation, the official said.

Earlier, the child was kept on a ventilator, and his condition is stable now, Solanki said.

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.

Patel said the state Health and Family Welfare Department is on alert and has made preparations and arrangements to tackle this viral infection.

"As part of the precautionary measures, the health department held a meeting on January 4 and instructed every chief district health officer, civil surgeon, superintendents of sub-district hospitals in the state to pay full attention to matters related to the infection of this virus," he said.

Arrangements will be made for the diagnosis of HMPV in various government hospitals, the minister said.

He asked people not to panic, but understand the viral infection symptoms and take measures accordingly.

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.

Furthermore, based on the current data from the ICMR and the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) network, there has been no unusual surge in Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) or Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases in the country, it said.

Amid reports of rising cases of respiratory illnesses in China in the past few weeks, a meeting of the Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) was held under the chairmanship of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) on Saturday.