India has reassured the public about its spread hmpv (Human metapneumovirus) In China, the Directorate General of Health Services said there was “no reason to be concerned.” The health body’s Director General Atul Goyal addressed the concerns and confirmed that no cases of HMPV have been reported in India so far. He said the disease is similar to any other respiratory virus, causing flu-like symptoms, especially in the elderly and children below one year of age.

“There has been news about an outbreak of HMPV in China and it is serious. We do not think, let me be clear, that this is like any other respiratory virus that causes flu, mostly in the elderly and children under 1 year of age. , “Goyal said during a press conference.

He also said that respiratory diseases, especially during winter, are common, and India’s healthcare infrastructure is well equipped to deal with them. “There is no need for medicines specifically because there are no anti-viral medicines against it. Neither in hospitals nor as per ICMR data, there is no major case. There is no reason to panic,” Goyal said.

Reports about the HMPV outbreak in China have raised some concerns, but Goyal’s comments reflected the stance taken by India’s National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), which closely monitors respiratory and influenza cases in the country. doing. Although these reports from China are unconfirmed, NCDC is in touch with international health agencies to stay on top of developments.

Additionally, respiratory diseases are a common concern during the winter months in India, a condition worsened by cold weather and air quality. Meanwhile, China’s disease control authority has set up a surveillance system for pneumonia of unknown origin as cases of the respiratory illness are expected to rise in winter. The system aims to strengthen China’s preparedness by drawing lessons from the emergence of COVID-19 five years ago.

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