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A nine-month-old child and a 59-year-old man tested positive for human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in Gujarat on Saturday, taking the number of such cases to five in the state, officials said.
All five HMPV cases have been reported in the state in less than a week.
The baby boy was admitted to a private hospital in the city on January 6 with a cold, cough and difficulty in breathing. He has no history of foreign or other travel, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) said.
Similarly, a man from the Kutch district admitted to a private hospital in Ahmedabad was found infected with HMPV, the civic body said. He also has no travel history, AMC said.
On January 10, an eight-year-old boy from Sabarkantha district was confirmed to be infected with HMPV, making him the third case in the State.
Two days back, an 80-year-old man tested positive for the viral infection in Ahmedabad. The patient, who has been suffering from asthma, is currently being treated at a private hospital.
Gujarat recorded its first case of HMPV on January 6, when a two-month-old boy from Rajasthan was found to be afflicted with the viral disease, which has symptoms like fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, and cough. He was discharged after being treated at a hospital.
With two fresh infections, the state has seen five HMPV cases since January 6.
HMPV, discovered in 2001, belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family. It is closely related to the Respiratory Syncytial Virus.
The pathogen spreads through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing as well as by touching contaminated surfaces or coming into direct contact with infected individuals.
10-month-old detected with HMPV, first case this season in Assam: Officials
A 10-month-old child has been detected with the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infection, the first such case this season in Assam, officials said on Saturday.
The child is undergoing treatment at Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh and is "stable" now, they said.
AMCH Superintendent Dr Dhrubajyoti Bhuyan said the child was admitted to the state-run hospital with cold-related symptoms four days ago.
“The HMPV infection was confirmed yesterday after we got test results from Lahowal-based ICMR-RMRC,” the hospital superintendent said.
Bhuyan said that samples are sent to the Indian Council of Medical Research for tests in influenza and flu-related cases as a routine practice.
"It was a routine test during which the HMPV infection was detected. The child is stable now. It is a common virus and there is nothing to worry about," he said.
ICMR- Regional Medical Research Centre, NE, Lahowal (Dibrugarh) Senior Scientist Dr Biswajit Borkakoty said, "Since 2014, we have detected 110 HMPV cases in Dibrugarh district. This is the first case this season. Every year it is detected, and nothing is new. We have got the sample from AMCH and this has been found positive for HMPV."
Human metapneumovirus is one of the many respiratory viruses that can cause infections in people of all ages, particularly during the winter and early spring months.
The virus infection is usually a mild and self-limiting condition and most such patients recover on their own.
