‘Nothing to be alarmed’: India monitoring respiratory, influenza cases amid Covid-like HMPV scare in China
Live MintAmid rising concerns over an outbreak of Human Metapneumovirus in China, India is monitoring the situation and is also in touch with international agencies. Meanwhile, the National Centre for Disease Control, which falls under the Union Health Ministry, is closely monitoring respiratory infections and seasonal influenza cases. About the virus Human Metapneumovirus, belonging to the Pneumoviridae, Metapneumovirus genus, is an enveloped single-stranded negative-sense RNA virus, according to the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Need for heightened surveillance Stating that the Human Metapneumovirus outbreak in China highlights the need for heightened surveillance and early detection mechanisms to curb its spread, Dr Arjun Dang, CEO of Dangs Lab, told ANI that HMPV, a relatively under-recognised pathogen, has been a silent contributor to seasonal respiratory illnesses globally. Monitoring, says China Last week, China's diseases control authority said it was piloting a monitoring system for pneumonia of unknown origin, with cases of some respiratory diseases expected to rise through the winter.