Pune: Amid the ongoing Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) scare, with a spike in the number of infected people in China and India, Dr Avinash Bhondwe, former President of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), said, unlike the Covid-19 pandemic, HMPV never turned into an epidemic and it's known for years with 99 per cent rate of recovery.
"There has been a lot of discussion about the HMPV virus for the past few days and some people have become very scared. Corona was a new virus and no one knew anything about it. Due to this, a lockdown was imposed followed by a scary situation. HMPV has been quietly circulating among humans for at least 50 years. It was formally identified by Dutch scientists in the respiratory secretions of children with Respiratory Tract Infections (RTIs) in the early 2000s. So this virus is so common that since then, many outbreaks have occurred in many countries in the last 70 years and it has never been an epidemic," Bhondwe said.
The virus has been known to the medical world since 2001 and there is no reason to panic. "Indian experts have said 10 per cent of the patients who suffer from cold and fever during winters are infected by metapneumovirus. Children below five to those above 65 years also contract it. It also targets immunocompromised people. Its symptoms are like the common cold, cough and fever and the recovery rate is 99 per cent. No one should panic. People with cold, cough and fever should take regular medication," he said.
HMPV is a common virus and not a single patient infected with this virus has been found in the Thane Municipal Corporation area, said Dr Chetna Chaudhary, a health officer of the municipality. As a precautionary measure, the department is ready with a 15-bed isolation ward at Kalwa Chhatrapati Shivaji Hospital and sufficient stock of essential medicines, Chaudhary said.
Municipal Commissioner Saurabh Rao has directed the Municipal Corporation's health department to remain vigilant.
Also Read:
