India keeps watch on HMPV: Health Ministry holds meeting on China’s respiratory illness spike

HMPV or human metapneumovirus is similar to RSV — which is a common pathogen that leads to common cold — and leads to symptoms such as cough, fever, runny nose, and sore throat. It may sometimes lead to more severe symptoms like pneumonia among the very young and the elderly.

“The government is keeping a close watch over the situation through all available channels and WHO has also been requested to share timely updates regarding the situation in China,” the ministry said in a statement.

In India, physicians have not reported any surge in respiratory infections and neither has the ICMR surveillance network, the meeting concluded. The ICMR network routinely tests samples of respiratory illnesses in laboratories across the country. Last month, Influenza B victoria lineage and RSV were the most common cause of respiratory infections, according to the data.

The meeting was attended by officials from the Health ministry, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme, National Centre for Disease Control, Disaster Management Cell, Emergency Medical Relief Division, Indian Council of Medical Research, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and WHO.