NEW DELHI: AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Monday expressed concern over the HMPV and urged the Center to act quickly to avoid a possible health crisis. Kejriwal’s remarks came after the Union Health Ministry confirmed that the Indian Council of Medical Research had detected two cases of the Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in Karnataka through routine surveillance for multiple respiratory viral pathogens.
Kejriwal said in a post on ”
The Union Health Ministry said a three-month-old baby with a history of bronchopneumonia was diagnosed with HMPV after being admitted to the Baptist Hospital in Bengaluru.
She has already been discharged.
An eight-month-old male infant with a history of bronchopneumonia tested positive for HMPV on January 3 after being admitted to Baptist Hospital. He is now recovering, he said.
None of the patients have a history of international travel, the ministry said.
He highlighted that HMPV was already in circulation globally, including in India, and that cases of respiratory diseases associated with it had been reported in several countries.
Current based ICMR and data from the Integrated Disease Surveillance Program network, there has been no unusual increase in cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) or severe acute respiratory illness (SARI), he added.
The ministry said it was monitoring the situation through all available surveillance channels. The ICMR will continue to track trends in HMPV circulation throughout the year.
On Sunday, the Delhi health department issued an advisory to hospitals to prepare for respiratory illnesses.
Health Services Director General Vandana Bagga chaired a meeting with senior health officials, emphasizing strict isolation protocols, timely reporting of cases and ensuring availability of medicines.