TWO babies have been hospitalised after testing positive for the HMPV virus in India as fears of a Covid-style outbreak spread across the region.
This comes days after reports of a mysterious virus that has reportedly overwhelmed parts of China, leaving medical rooms packed with masked patients.
One of these HMPV-infected babies was a three-month-old girl admitted to the Baptist Hospital in Bengaluru, according to Newsweek.
This little-known human metapneumovirus (HMPV) typically causes a mild cold-like illness which can quickly lead to hospitalisation and in the worst case death for the most vulnerable.
This girl has since been discharged but a second baby – a six-month-old boy – was rushed to the same hospital on 3 January.
The boy is reportedly “recovering” from the virus and both children had a history of bronchopneumonia.
There have also been reports of a two-month-old boy also contracting this HMPV virus in the western city of Ahmedabad, according to The Hindu.
This worrying development came just days after photos showed hospital waiting rooms overwhelmed and filled with masked patients in China as officials remain tight-lipped over the latest outbreak.
These unverified videos started to whirl around social media on New Year’s Eve, echoing worrying images of 2020’s Covid outbreak.
Cases of the HMPV virus are reportedly surging in northern China but some of these viral videos have even claimed to show hospitals in Hunan — a province in southern China as well as the surrounding areas.
Locals have said the issues are particularly affecting children’s hospitals, mirroring the cases in India.
Despite this, India’s Union Health Ministry has said there is no link between these children and reported cases in China, according to The Indian Express.
Officials said there was no history of international travel in these two HMPV cases.
The ministry said: “HMPV is already in circulation globally, including in India, and cases of respiratory illnesses associated with HMPV have been reported in various countries.”
Chinese authorities have not confirmed what is causing this worrying influx of patients, with local media claiming it is due to the dangerous virus.
The World Health Organisation has yet to comment on the social media footage of the hospitals.
HUMAN metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a respiratory pathogen closely related to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
It is associated with a range of illnesses, from mild infection to severe bronchitis and pneumonia.
Symptoms may include:
Like RSV, HMPV is thought to be a seasonal virus occurring mostly during the winter months.
However, the number of people who suffer from it each year is still to be determined.
Studies suggest that the majority of people have had HMPV infection by the age of five.
However, it has been found in older children and adults, suggesting re-infection can occur later in life.
HMPV commonly clears up on its own, but supportive treatments such as antihistamines and breathing assistance are sometimes provided.
Source: gov.uk
Despite this, official reports from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have suggested the problems could just be a regular flu.
The Chinese group said 30 per cent of these tests have come back as influenza.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, has pushed back at any serious fears that followed these worrying images and videos, according to The Guardian.
Ning said: “Respiratory infections tend to peak during the winter season.
“The diseases appear to be less severe and spread with a smaller scale compared to the previous year.”
Official reports of any serious health complications or even fatalities are yet to be released but locals have claimed the outbreak has already cost some lives.
These images are reminiscent of Covid which is believed to have ripped through China five years ago before spreading across the globe.
Over seven million people are said to have died due to COVID-related complications in the years since the outbreak was first reported.
