Human metapneumovirus, which was thought to be an unknown virus until recently, is now very common in the UK, which is very scary. There have been claims that health officials, including the UK Health Security Agency, have been sounding the alarm about how it will affect the elderly. The number of people who are positive for hMPV has been going up lately. The highest rate was found in people aged 80 and up, where it was 7.3%.
The UK Health and Safety Authority looked into almost 7,826 samples and found proof that the virus is spreading. There is also a lot of stress because of winter bugs, but the UK’s NHS has always had to deal with an extra problem. As Amanda Pritchard, CEO of NHS England, pointed out, lung viruses like hMPV and flu have been terrible for both patients and the services that are available to the public. The huge amount of stress she said field workers were under.
Also, the situation in the UK isn’t that different from what’s happening in northern China. Earlier this month, there were a lot of hMPV cases there, which led to emergency measures being put in place, and hospitals in China were overloaded, especially with young children showing signs similar to Covid.
Does India need to worry about HMPV?
Even though the UK and China have said scary things, Indian health officials have told the people there is no reason to worry right now. The Union Health Ministry has stressed that hMPV, which was first found around the world in 2001, usually causes mild cases that go away on their own. Most cases get better on their own without medical help.
But to be ready, the ministry has told people to keep a closer eye out for Influenza-like Illnesses (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections (SARI). People have asked state health offices to send out more preventative messages, like telling people to wash their hands and stay away from people who are sick. No matter if it happens at an ICMR-VRDL lab or another one, diagnostic labs all over India are ready for this surge.
HMPV: What is it?
One of the most common lung viruses is human metapneumovirus. It usually only causes mild symptoms like coughing, fever, and stuffy nose. But in some cases, it can lead to major problems for people who are already at a high risk. These include the old, kids, and people whose immune systems aren’t as strong because they are sick or taking medicine. Human metapneumovirus can spread easily, so it is very important to stay healthy.
India, on the other hand, is always on guard. It keeps saying that the country will be ready in case the number of cases goes up. For the spread to be managed, people would need to follow basic hygiene rules and report symptoms as soon as possible.
