HMPV case: Karnataka Health Minister says no reason to panic

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Monday assured that there was no cause for alarm over the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) as it is already present in the country, after two cases were detected in Bengaluru.

According to Union Health Ministry, neither of the patients have any history of international travel.

"I don't think we should be pressing the panic button, because HMPV is not a new virus, it already exists. Reports suggest that it is the first case of HMPV in India, it is not true because HMPV is an existing virus, and a certain percentage of people do get affected by this virus and it is not something new," state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said.

Addressing reporters here, he said, "the 8-month-old child has no travel history, and they (family) are locals. They have not arrived from China or some other country. So I don't think that there is any connection to that."

The Minister explained that the outbreak of HMPV in China is said to involve a new variant. "We don't have the full details, and the government of India is yet to provide full details to us, and maybe they are also trying to get more information."

"... HMPV itself isn’t new, it’s been around for a long time. It typically causes common symptoms like cold, flu, or cough. It's a self limiting virus, it goes away after some time. I don’t think we should be calling this the first case."

Earlier in the day, the health department said that the eight-month-old baby's case was detected at a private hospital in the state capital. They, however, clarified that the samples were not tested at the government lab and were awaiting confirmation.

The central government is closely monitoring the situation in China, Rao said. "We are also discussing this internally. I’ve instructed our officers to coordinate with ICMR and the Government of India. I'm having a meeting today to review any new information and determine the next steps."

Responding to a question on any testing that needs to be done, the Minister said it will be looked into.

"Whether it is causing any serious public health concern — that has to be first of all decided. Is it really a public health concern, just because one case has been detected? Has to be looked into. If you test anybody with a cold, they’ll have some virus in them," he said.

Noting that one needs to take general precautions and should be careful, he said, "... If people are careful, it’s better for us — wash your hands, maintain some distance, especially if you have symptoms. Those things are already in the advisories that have been issued."