India’s HMPV cases surge to 7

New Delhi: India has confirmed a total of seven cases of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV), a respiratory virus that is currently surging in China. The latest additions came from Nagpur, where two children, aged seven and 14, tested positive for the virus after being hospitalized with symptoms including fever and cough.

The other cases in India have been reported from Karnataka (2), Tamil Nadu (2), and Ahmedabad (1). While the rise in cases has raised concerns, Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda reassured the public that there is no immediate cause for alarm. He explained that HMPV was first identified in 2001 and is not a new threat, typically peaking during the winter and early spring.

In China, where the virus is currently causing a spike in cases, authorities have downplayed the situation, attributing the surge to the seasonal increase in respiratory infections. However, widespread social media footage of overcrowded hospitals has drawn comparisons to the global COVID-19 outbreak, which originated in China five years ago.

Notably, HMPV is a common virus that often causes mild cold-like symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, a runny nose, and a sore throat. While most people recover without complications, young children, the elderly, and individuals with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to severe illness. It is particularly common in young children, with most people contracting the virus before the age of five.