No Unusual Rise In Influenza-like Illness, Severe Acute Respiratory Illness In India: Health Ministry

MoS Health Prataprao Jadhav said the ministry has activated Public Health Emergency Operation Centre at NCDC for regular monitoring of HMPV, reports Gautam Debroy.

New Delhi:At a time when China has been witnessing a spread in Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) virus, the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday said that there is no unusual rise in Influenza Like Illness (ILI)/Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) related to HMPV cases anywhere in the country.

“The Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) has been present globally since 2001. The data from Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) does not indicate any unusual rise in Influenza Like Illness (ILI)/Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases anywhere in the country and also corroborated by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) sentinel surveillance data,” said Minister of State for Health Prataprao Jadhav in the Rajya Sabha.

Jadhav said that as on January 29, 2025, a total of 59 cases have been reported on IDSP portal and two deaths have been reported due to comorbidities.

Aware of the situation, the health ministry has also activated the Public Health Emergency Operation Centre (PHEOC) at National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) since January 6, 2025 for regular monitoring of HMPV situations.

“Daily Situational Report (SitRep) is shared to the concerned stakeholders,” he said.

Last month, the World health Organisation (WHO) said that acute respiratory infections have increased during recent weeks and detections of seasonal influenza, rhinovirus, RSV, and hMPV, particularly in northern provinces of China have also increased.

Human Metapneumovirus

According to WHO, HMPV is a common respiratory virus found to circulate in many countries in winter through to spring, although not all countries routinely test and publish data on trends in hMPV. While some cases can be hospitalized with bronchitis or pneumonia, most people infected with hMPV have mild upper respiratory symptoms similar to the common cold and recover after a few days.

WHO’s Findings

In its situation report over HMPV, WHO said that in many countries of the Northern Hemisphere, trends in acute respiratory infections increase at this time of year. These increases are typically caused by seasonal epidemics of respiratory pathogens such as seasonal influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other common respiratory viruses, including human metapneumovirus (hMPV), as well as mycoplasma pneumoniae.

HMPV Cases In India

For the period from January 6, 2025 to January 29, 2025 as per Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), 59 HMPC cases have been detected in India that include 17 in Tamil Nadu, 11 in Gujarat, 9 in Puducherry, 6 each in Assam and Delhi, 2 each in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka, 1 each in Chhattisgarh and Haryana.

Alert Issued In India

India has also issued an alert over the issue of HMPV.

“States and UTs have been advised to be vigilant and send respiratory samples of hospitalized SARI cases to designated Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDLs) for testing and sequencing of positive samples,” Jadhav said.

A robust surveillance system for Influenza Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) for Influenza is already in place in India through both ICMR and IDSP networks, he said.

“The states have been advised to enhance Information, Education and Communication (IEC) and awareness among the population regarding prevention of transmission of the virus through simple measures such as washing hands often with soap and water; avoid touching their eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands; avoid close contact with people who are exhibiting symptoms of the disease; cover mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing etc,” the minister informed.

According to Jadhav, the Government conducted a preparedness drill across the country and it is ascertained that the health system is adequately prepared to deal with the seasonal increase in respiratory illness.

“Several meetings were held at the level of Secretary (Health & Family Welfare), Director General of Health Services, Joint Monitoring Group with various stakeholders and reviewed the situation of respiratory illnesses in India and the status regarding the HMPV cases. The stakeholders included Department of Health Research, DGHS, Health Secretaries and officials of States, experts from Integrated Disease Surveillance Platform (IDSP), NCDC, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), National Institute of Virology (NIV) and State,” the minister informed.