According to a civic official cited by news agency PTI on Monday, a two-month-old has been tested positive for HMPV virus at a private hospital in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
According to the official, the infant’s condition is stable. Two further confirmed cases were announced earlier today in Karnataka, bringing the official number of HMPV cases in India to three. Unverified reports of a spike in HMPV infections in China made news last week.
According to the PTI story, the diseased baby, who is from Dungarpur, Rajasthan, was brought to the private hospital in Ahmedabad’s Chandkheda neighbourhood on December 24 with signs of a respiratory illness. Bhavin Solanki, the in-charge medical officer of health for Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, was quoted by the news agency as saying that the newborn tested positive for the HMPV. “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 stated.
The official also said that the patient was maintained in isolation. The child’s condition is now stable after previously being placed on a ventilator, Solanki continued.
Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a major cause of acute respiratory infections, according to the American Lung Association. HMPV, which was first identified by Dutch researchers in 2001, is usually transmitted by intimate contact with infected people, either by touching contaminated objects like toys or doorknobs or by respiratory secretions from coughing or sneezing.
HMPV tends to spread more widely in the United States in the winter and spring, when other respiratory illnesses like the flu and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) are more common. Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) symptoms can range in intensity, but they typically include fever, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, and cough. Additionally, some people may have dyspnoea, or shortness of breath, and wheezing. A rash may occasionally appear as part of the infection.