Kolkata: A 5-month-old baby who arrived from Mumbai was tested positive for HMPV in Kolkata on Monday. The child had severe cold and cough and on being tested was found to be positive. Gujarat has confirmed its first case of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) and the third case reported in India. The third case is a child who is said to be around two-months-old. Till now the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has confirmed the detection of three cases of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) in Karnataka, identified through routine surveillance for respiratory viral pathogens. Ministry of Health in a release has stated that these cases were detected as part of ICMR’s ongoing efforts to monitor and control respiratory illnesses across the country. One of the affected individuals is a three-month-old female infant, who was diagnosed with HMPV after being admitted to Baptist Hospital in Bengaluru. She had a history of bronchopneumonia and was discharged after receiving treatment. The second case involves an 8-month-old male infant, who tested positive for HMPV on January 3, 2025, following his admission to Baptist Hospital in Bengaluru, also with a history of bronchopneumonia. HMPV is a respiratory virus that is already circulating globally, including in India. An eight-month-old baby was identified with the HMPV virus in Bengaluru. This is the city’s first case that was diagnosed at Baptist Hospital. The Karnataka government said they do not know the specific strain because they don’t have the data relating to the particular strain that was identified in China. Moreover, the state health department clarified that the sample was tested at a private hospital, and they don’t have reasons to doubt its accuracy. According to the health department, “The reports have come from a private hospital and we have no reason to doubt the tests of private hospital.” Human metapneumovirus was first discovered in 2001 in the Netherlands in the respiratory secretions of 28 young children. It has symptoms such as cold, cough, fever, and nasal congestion. Children, older people and those who are immunologically compromised can be easily affected by the virus. Similar to Covid it can spread through infected droplets and through touching infected surface.
