HMPV outbreak in China, Health Ministry closely monitoring
Indian government officials, however, say that the situation is not alarming.
NEW DELHI- China has reported an outbreak of respiratory illnesses, particularly Human Metapneumo Virus ( HMPV ), among children and the elderly over the past couple of weeks. Indian government officials, however, say that the situation is not alarming.
Commenting on the disease, Director General of Health Services (DGHS) Atul Goel said that HMPV is like any other respiratory virus, causing common cold and flu-like symptoms in the very old and young children.
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“There is no substantial increase in cases reported for respiratory illness at our centres in December 2024,” he added.
The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is also monitoring respiratory and seasonal influenza cases, official sources told news agency ANI.
Symptoms of viral infection are similar to those caused by other respiratory viruses and can range from mild, such as a runny nose, to severe breathing difficulties and chest pain.
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Medical experts added that there is no specific or approved therapy for HMPV at this time, with only symptomatic relief measures being taken for the illness.
“The public should take general precautionary measures as they usually do against respiratory infections,” expert said.
The increased monitoring for respiratory infections also comes as countries like the United States of America (USA) and Canada have reported mutated versions of the H5N1 bird flu infection.
While the government did not immediately respond to bird flu concerns, the health ministry and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) have previously issued guidelines to counter the disease.
