No cause for concern, but be cautious: Kerala Health Minister on China HMPV scare
India TodayKerala Health Minister Veena George on Saturday said that the state was closely monitoring the reports of a surge in respiratory infections in China, where Human Metapneumovirus is emerging as a significant pathogen of interest. Her statement came a day after India's Director General of Health Services, Dr Atul Goel, said that India has so far not reported any cases of HMPV, which is widely speculated to be causing a rise in infections in China, as certain reports suggest. HMPV 'OUTBREAK' IN CHINA Last month, China reportedly began piloting a monitoring system for winter illnesses, including pneumonia of unknown cause. Reacting to the reports of a virus outbreak in China, Dr Atul Goel, who also heads the National Centre for Disease Control, said that HMPV is just like any other respiratory virus that causes a common cold.