NEW DELHI: AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Monday raised concern over the HMPV and urged the Centre to act swiftly to prevent a potential health crisis. Kejriwal’s remarks came after the Union health ministry confirmed that the Indian Council of Medical Research had detected two cases of the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) in Karnataka through routine surveillance for multiple respiratory viral pathogens.
Kejriwal said in a post on X, “The outbreak of the HMPV virus calls for immediate attention from the Centre. Drawing from our experience with Covid, it’s crucial to contain such cases early and be prepared to tackle what could potentially become another health emergency.”
The Union health ministry said a three-month-old female infant with a history of bronchopneumonia was diagnosed with HMPV after being admitted to Baptist Hospital in Bengaluru.
She has already been discharged.
An eight-month-old male infant with a history of bronchopneumonia tested positive for HMPV on January 3 after being admitted to Baptist Hospital. He is now recovering, it said.
Neither of the patients have any history of international travel, the ministry said.
It emphasised that HMPV was already in circulation globally, including in India, and cases of respiratory illnesses associated with it had been reported in various countries.
Based on the current ICMR and Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme network data, there has been no unusual surge in Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) or Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases, it added.
The ministry said it was monitoring the situation through all available surveillance channels. The ICMR will continue to track trends in HMPV circulation throughout the year.
On Sunday, Delhi’s health department issued an advisory to hospitals to prepare for respiratory illnesses.
Director General of Health Services Vandana Bagga chaired a meeting with senior health officials, laying stress on strict isolation protocols, timely reporting of cases, and ensuring the availability of medicines.
