HMPV concern: Isolation tightened in Delhi, strict orders to stock medicines, oxygen cylinders

NEW DELHI: The national capital has tightened security measures after two cases of HMPV (Human Metapneumovirus) were confirmed in the country. The Department of Health has issued guidance to prepare for the challenges that may arise due to HMPV. Health institutions have been directed to maintain detailed records of severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) cases and laboratory-confirmed influenza cases.

Instructions have been issued to stock medicines like paracetamol, antihistamine, bronchodilator, and cough syrup, ensure the availability of oxygen cylinders and make isolation compulsory in essential cases. Top officials of the Delhi Health Department conducted a high-level meeting to comprehend the situation. The HMPV virus was detected in a three-year-old child and an eight-month-old toddler in Bengaluru.



Both children did not have any foreign travel history. The doctors are still rummaging to find the origin of the disease. It is not clear whether it is the same Chinese variant.

The Karnataka Health Department has informed that the samples of the babies will be collected and the tests will continue. Recently, there have been reports that respiratory diseases such as HMPV, COVID-19, Influenza A, and Mycoplasma pneumonia are spreading rapidly in China and hospitals are overflowing with patients. China cleared the air saying there is nothing to worry about the spread of the disease.

According to China, it is normal for disease to spread during the winter season..