India confirmed its first cases of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infections in children, with a total of seven cases reported as of Tuesday.
The cases were reported in Bengaluru, Nagpur, Tamil Nadu and Ahmedabad, according to The Economic Times. And the cases come as HMPV is reportedly surging in China.
The Indian federal government urged states to increase surveillance and spread awareness to prevent transmission of the virus, but they also urged the public not to panic. Many experts have stressed that HMPV has been around for decades and is not as fatal as COVID-19.
“Health experts have clarified that HMPV is not a new virus. It was first identified in 2001 and it has been circulating in the entire world since many years,” Indian Health Minister JP Nadda said in a widely reported video statement on Monday.
“HMPV spreads through the air, by way of respiration,” Nadda continued. “This can affect people of all age groups. The virus spreads more during the winter and the early spring months.”
Rajeev Jayadevan, the spokesperson on HMPV from the Indian Medical Association in Kochi, similarly tried to quell concerns on Tuesday, stressing that the virus is common in children.
“There is a lot of public anxiety about the HMPV. It is a common respiratory virus which most children get by the age of 3 or 4. It’s very rare to have a serious problem with this. Most children would have had at least one bout of this infection in their childhood, including all of us,” Jayadevan said, in a statement reported by the Economic Times.
“This is not COVID. This is not a killer virus. It has been around for many years in all countries, including ours,” Jayadevan added.
