The third case of the HMPV virus has been reported in Gujarat. Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel on Monday said that this virus had been detected in a 2-month-old child who arrived from Rajasthan's Dungarpur for Sarwar. "The child has been referred from Sarwar to Ahmedabad," the minister said.
Patel said that there was no need to panic now there there were more than enough beds available in Gujarat. "There is no need to panic now, no advisory has been issued by the central body yet but it has been advised to stay alert. The state government is taking all precautions. There are more than enough beds available in Gujarat. Ventilator, beds, and oxygen are available but this will not be needed," the minister said.
Earlier today, the Union Health Ministry said that the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had detected two cases of HMPV in Karnataka through routine surveillance for multiple respiratory viral pathogens.
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. The second case was of an eight-month-old male infant, who tested positive for HMPV on January 3.
HMPV is already in circulation globally, including in India, and cases of respiratory illnesses associated with it have been reported in various countries, the ministry said. Furthermore, based on the current data from the ICMR and the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) network, there has been no unusual surge in Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) or Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases in the country.
Speaking on the virus, Dr Vishal Rao, surgical oncologist at Bengaluru's HCG Hospital, said that there is no vaccine available for this virus but "if you have taken a flu shot, the three vaccine doses of Covid virus, you already have immunity". "This is not something that will spread by me talking or breathing like COVID. This is not the case with HMPV virus because it's a droplet infection...because of cough. You will need to take precautions,” he said.