Suspected HMPV cases in Nagpur not cause for alarm, says health minister

Mumbai: Maharashtra health minister Prakash Abitkar reassured the public on Tuesday that the Human MetaPneumovirus (HMPV) is neither novel nor as lethal as Covid-19, following the discovery of two suspected cases in Nagpur. He dismissed suggestions of reintroducing measures such as patient isolation and mandatory mask-wearing.

The HMPV situation was addressed during the state cabinet meeting, where chief minister Devendra Fadnavis instructed Abitkar and medical education minister Hasan Mushrif to address public concerns and anxieties about the virus.

Abitkar noted that while cases had been identified in Bengaluru, Tamil Nadu, and Nagpur, none of the patients had travelled to China. "It means the virus has been existing between us for the last many years," he said, adding, "It is not new and not dangerous unlike Covid-19."

The health minister shared findings from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), one of the world's oldest and largest medical research organisations responsible for coordinating and promoting biomedical research in India. Of 8,052 samples tested nationwide, 172 were HMPV positive.

"All the cases were moderate in nature. They did not need hospitalisation and there were also no deaths. We only have to take precautions and create as much awareness as possible. It includes those having weak immunity systems such as cancer and pneumonia patients and children," Abitkar explained.

He further clarified, "People are asking if preventive measures such as isolation and mask will again start, I want to tell all of them there is no need to take those precautions."

Health secretary Nipun Vinayak noted that the central government's joint monitoring group (JMG) had determined that the increase in respiratory diseases across the country was not unusual. "Not all of them are HMPV cases. It is because we already have several types of viruses among them are influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) etc," he emphasised.