Seven confirmed cases of HPMV infection in India

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Seven confirmed cases of human metapneumovirus infection in India

Reporter : Chen Ting / Editor : Ye Ziwei / https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/25/1/8/n14408747.htm / Image : On 7 January 2025, in Varanasi, India, a pedestrian with his face covered with a cloth walked past a mural promoting the use of masks. Currently, several children in India have been diagnosed with human metapneumovirus (HMPV). (Niharika kulkarni/AFP via Getty Images)

India has confirmed that children have been infected with human metapneumovirus (HMPV). As of Tuesday (7 January 2025), at least seven children in India have been diagnosed cases.

According to India's Economic Times, the cases occurred in Bengaluru, Nagpur, Tamil Nadu and Ahmedabad. The youngest of these pediatric cases is a 2-month-old baby who was admitted to hospital with respiratory illness and has since been treated and discharged.

In response to HMPV, the Indian federal government urged states to strengthen surveillance and publicity to prevent the spread of the virus, but officials also urged the public not to panic. Many experts emphasize that HMPV has been around for decades and is not as deadly as COVID-19.

Health experts say HMPV is not a new virus.

"HMPV was first discovered in 2001 and has been circulating around the world for many years," Indian Health Minister JP Nadda said on Monday.

"HMPV spreads through the air and breathing," Nadda said. "People of all ages can be infected. The virus spreads faster in winter and early spring."

Rajeev Jayadevan, spokesman for the Indian Medical Association, stressed on Tuesday that the virus is common among children.

"The public is very anxious about the HMPV virus. It is a common respiratory virus that most children become infected by the age of three or four. Severe cases are very rare," Jayadevan said in a statement. "Most children are infected with this virus at least once during their childhood, including all of us."

"This is not COVID-19. This is not a deadly virus," Jayadevan added. "It has been present in all countries, including ours, for many years."

However, the statements of these health experts are still unable to completely eliminate people's concerns. Because, judging from the information on social media, CCP China’s respiratory infectious disease epidemic seems to be a much more serious threat than HMPV.

In recent weeks, respiratory cases have increased rapidly in CCP China, with severe cases among children surging. This has aroused the alert of medical institutions in various countries, and they are paying attention to whether the epidemic has rekindled in CCP China or whether a new virus has emerged.

People in many places in China, including Tianjin, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shandong, Liaoning, Hebei, and Anhui, said that after being infected, they not only experienced dizziness, and the whole body was hot and cold, but also accompanied by runny nose, cough, sore throat, and general weakness nad discomfort.

A doctor in Jiangsu posted on Xiaohongshu that an unknown virus was found in their hospital, and the patients all had pneumonia and respiratory failure. The virus is not as transmissible as COVID-19, but the mortality rate is much higher. 

There are also unconfirmed reports online that the crematoriums are overwhelmed.

In response to the surge in respiratory cases, Chinese Communist Party officials claimed that multiple viruses, including seasonal influenza, HMPV, and COVID-19 viruses, are circulating at the same time. The CCP does not admit that there is a new virus strain.

However, it is still difficult for the outside world to know the truth about what kind of virus caused this epidemic.