Amid heightened surveillance in India, another HMPV case was reported in Gujarat on Friday. Meanwhile, China has said that it is in close communication with the World Health Organisation (WHO) related to the situation of respiratory diseases, including HMPV.

The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, on Friday, said the government is taking the health of its people seriously. He also added that HMPV is not a new virus and has been circulating among humans for more than 60 years.

He also rejected the practice of labelling the virus as ‘mysterious’.

“HMPV infections manifest itself as a self-limiting disease,” Guo said. “It is alarmist to exaggerate common viruses as unknown viruses, which goes against scientific common sense.”

HMPV symptoms

It is difficult to distinguish HMPV infection from other viral infections like flu and influenza. The common symptoms of HMPV are cough, fever, sore throat, runny nose and body and head ache.

HMPV detection And Treatment

Most health experts have highlighted that HMPV tests in patients with the mentioned symptoms are not necessary as there is no treatment for HMPV infection. Doctors focus on symptomatic treatment where they prescribe OTC medicines, inhalers, etc.

HMPV cases in India Prevention

The easiest way to prevent HMPV infection is to take necessary precautions while staying outside. The World Health Organisation advises people to wear mask when outside, wash hands regularly, and maintain a balanced and healthy diet to prevent getting infected with HMPV.  Try wearing mask at crowded places, wash your hands regularly after returning to home from outside. Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth with dirty hands. Maintain a strong immune system by eating healthy food, regular exercise. HMPV infection has cough and cold like symptoms. A person infected with this virus can experience the below-mentioned symptoms:

The World Health Organisation, earlier, said that HMPV is a common respiratory virus which is found to circulate in many countries during winter through to spring. Amid rising cases of HMPV and other respiratory illnesses across world, the World Health Organisation has observed that the surge is not unusual and is “typically caused by seasonal epidemics of respiratory pathogens such as seasonal influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other common respiratory viruses, including human metapneumovirus (hMPV), as well as mycoplasma pneumonia”

Gujarat Health Minister Rushikesh Patel on Friday confirmed the presence of HMPV virus and said that it remains one of the most common viruses affecting the respiratory system. Speaking to the media persons, Patel said, “HMPV virus was found in 2001 and is still found today. It is one of the many viruses that are found in the respiratory system. An advisory has been issued by the Gujarat government.”