Paediatricians and several virologists whom South First spoke to confirmed that the hMPV virus has been present in India for almost two decades.
Published Jan 06, 2025 | 1:06 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 06, 2025 | 4:48 PM
Human metapneumovirus particles. Computer illustration of particles of the human metapneumovirus (hMPV), a respiratory virus that affects almost all children by the age of 5. The virus is a type of paramyxovirus, consisting of RNA (ribonucleic acid) genetic material enclosed in a protein coat, or capsid, within a phospholipid envelope. The envelope (pale) is covered in protein spikes.
On Tuesday, 6 January, India woke up to the news citing the detection of “the first Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV) case” in the country, at a private hospital in Bengaluru.
The reports confirmed by the state health department said that Karnataka detected two cases of hMPV during its routine surveillance.
“ICMR [Indian Council of Medical Research] has detected two cases of hMPV in Karnataka. Both cases were identified through routine surveillance for multiple respiratory viral pathogens, as part of ICMR’s ongoing efforts to monitor respiratory illnesses across the country,” said the research council in a press release.
The ICMR confirmed that a three-month-old female infant, who was diagnosed with hMPV after being admitted to Baptist Hospital in Bengaluru with a history of bronchopneumonia was treated and later discharged.
Meanwhile, another 8-month-old male infant, who tested positive for hMPV on 3 January 2025, again at Baptist Hospital with the same history of bronchopneumonia is being treated and is recovering.
Meanwhile, paediatricians and several virologists whom South First spoke to confirmed that the hMPV virus has been present in India for almost two decades.
The said discussions on it resurfaced in public domains after the reports of an increase in hMPV cases in China.
“Since the experience of the Covid-19 virus is strong in the public memory, hMPV has raised a concern now,” say experts.
ICMR also emphasised that hMPV is already in circulation globally, including in India, and cases of respiratory illnesses associated with hMPV have been reported in various countries.
“Based on current data from ICMR and the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) network, there has been no unusual surge in Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) or Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases in the country,” it said.
Human Metapneumovirus, first identified in the Netherlands in 2001, is a respiratory virus that belongs to the same family as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
It can cause mild to severe respiratory illnesses, particularly in young children, the elderly and those with weak immune systems. Symptoms often mimic flu or common cold, such as fever, cough, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath.
It should be noted that the Bengaluru case wasn’t an isolated incident. Since the early 2000s, researchers have documented hMPV cases across India, particularly in children hospitalised with respiratory infections.
A 2009 study in Delhi confirmed the virus’ presence in a significant percentage of children under five admitted with respiratory disease. Further studies in Mumbai and Chennai corroborated these findings, revealing that hMPV has quietly coexisted with other respiratory viruses for years.
Dr Sujatha Thyagarajan, Lead and HOD of Pediatric Intensive Care and Pediatric Emergency at Aster RV Hospital in Bengaluru said the hospital has reported 17 cases of hMPV from 2022 to 2024.
“The tests conducted at Aster RV hospitals resulted in 17 positives for hMPV out of 291 samples tested between 20222 and 2024. All hMPV patients who were hospitalised were found to have co-infections. These co-infections included a combination of viral and bacterial pathogens,” she said.
“This information sheds light on the interaction of hMPV with other respiratory pathogens that act as a contributory factor for increased severity. In some instances, it results in hospitalisation of children for an average of three days,” she added.
Dr Ganesh Srinivasa Prasad, nephrologist and transplant physician took to X and said, “Biofire panel gives HMPV positive regularly as this is a common virus, but it will be a worrying news if it is the same strain which detected in china. This is pure fear mongering by TRP hungered Media. Half baked News is Hazardous to society.”
He also cited the paper and said the virus was detected in India two decades back.
Media should play a responsible role in these times where restraint about publishing news, check authenticity, nature of severity is must before going for breaking news
This virus has been detected in India 2 decades back @Lolita_TNIE @chetanabelagere @ThipMedia #MedTwitter https://t.co/AZ4rhsrdFt pic.twitter.com/q2tU8zfSiP
— Dr Ganesh Srinivasa Prasad (@thisis_drgsp) January 6, 2025
Following the reports, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundurao has called for an emergency meeting to find out more about the virus and also check if this situation is indeed a “public health concern”.
Further decisions will be made based on the outcome of the meeting, sources close to the minister said.
He clarified that hMPV was not a new virus and that the patients diagnosed in Karnataka with this virus reside in the state itself and have no travel history to any country.
He explained that the Union government is looking into China’s outbreak due to reports that it is a new variant of hMPV.
“However, there are no full details of this since the government of India has yet to provide more information. There is no need to panic as it is a self-limiting virus. It is not right to call it the first case. It is a wrong way of reporting,” Gundurao said.
Dr Sujatha said even though hMPV is a significant cause for concern, other respiratory pathogens also contribute greatly to the burden of disease.
“Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections have caused an upsurge in chest infections and hospitalisations among children. The pattern is consistent with the epidemic proportions of Mycoplasma infections in China last year. Unlike viral infections, Mycoplasma infections require specific antibiotics, which have been very effective in treating the condition,” she said.
“Like most respiratory viruses, HMPV is only risky if undetected or delayed in its management,” she added.
While experts have made it clear that hMPV is not a new virus and belongs to the Pneumovirdae family, which also has other well-known human viruses like mumps and RSV, the severity of the disease is similar to that of RSV.
However, Dr Vinod Scaria, a pioneer in Precision Medicine and Clinical Genomics in India, said: “In India, we seem to be eagerly keeping a close watch. My only question as a humble citizen is: How would we?”
He questions how India could manage to watch the virus without approved diagnostics and a pathway for accelerated approvals for diagnostics.
“Without these, we are staring at a wall; black or white is for you to decide,” he said and added that there is an urgent need for rapid regulatory approvals for diagnostics in global or regional outbreak settings.
Meanwhile, Dr Srikanta TJ, a Paediatric Pulmonologist from Aster Hospital raised two concerns.
“We do not know the virulence of the strain. Secondly, we do not know the severity of the infection it is causing in the general population. So, sounding unnecessary alarms is just going to make things more difficult. At the same time, if we take precautions and make people around us follow one, it will be much easier,” he said.
Older adults may be vulnerable. A systematic review of 41 studies show ~473,000 hMPV-associated hospitalizations worldwide in those aged ≥65 yrs in 2019.
hMPV may hit the oldest adults the hardest. In the limited age-stratified info, those ≥80 yrs had slightly higher…
— Giridhar (@epigiri) January 6, 2025
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil)
