Old ailment, known pathogen: A warning against HMPV panic
Hindustan TimesFor everyone holding their breath over fears of HMPV, here’s a quick summary: it’s an old ailment, caused by a known pathogen, and many people are likely to have been exposed to the virus by the time they are five years old. “It is emphasised that HMPV is already in circulation globally, including in India, and cases of respiratory illnesses associated with HMPV have been reported in various countries,” stated India’s health ministry, noting that current data from both the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme show no unusual surge in Influenza-Like Illness or Severe Acute Respiratory Illness cases in the country. A December 2023 paper analysing data from Delhi hospitals identified HMPV as one of several common respiratory viruses contributing to acute respiratory tract infections. “Acute respiratory tract infection is a proven infectious cause of mortality among children under five years and varies geographically and seasonally significantly across the globe,” researchers from ILBS and Max Healthcare noted. While influenza virus infections predominate among respiratory viral infections, other non-influenza viruses, including HMPV, were increasingly recognised as primary agents for respiratory diseases, alongside respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus, human coronaviruses, and adenovirus, the research found.