HMPV: States told to ramp up surveillance

New Delhi: The Centre has advised states to step up surveillance for respiratory illnesses, including ILI and SARI, and spread awareness about the prevention of transmission of the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) after five cases were detected in India. On Tuesday, two suspected cases of the virus were reported from Maharashtra's Nagpur. Both the patients were discharged after treatment, a senior official said. Their samples have been sent to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Nagpur and the National Institute of Virology in Pune, the official said.

India reported its first HMPV cases on Monday after five children tested positive in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat. Union Health Minister J P Nadda had said that the government was closely monitoring the situation and there was no reason to worry. HMPV is a globally recognised respiratory virus. It is a viral pathogen that causes respiratory infections in people of all age groups. Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava on Monday chaired a virtual meeting with states and Union Territories to take stock of respiratory illnesses and HMPV cases in the country and public health measures for their management, a health ministry statement said.