hMPV or human metapneumovirus cases are increasing in the country. On Monday, one more child in Puducherry tested positive for hMPV. The child is undergoing treatment in JIPMER. Director of Health for Puducherry, V Ravichandran, in a release on late Sunday said that the girl child complained of fever, cough and running nose. She was admitted to JIPMER a few days ago and has been under treatment.
Cases of hMPV have been found in several parts of the country including Bengaluru, Sabarkantha, and Assam.
Health experts say early identification of the infection can help contain the spread of the virus.
In view of the concerns around hMPV, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has released a set of guidelines to educate people.
The common symptoms of hMPV, as stated by WHO in its fresh guidelines are: cough, fever, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body ache and headache. “It can make a few people quite sick, causing infection of the lung (pneumonia) or inflammation of the airways to the lungs (bronchiolitis, bronchitis). Symptoms of more severe disease include wheezing, difficulty breathing, chest pain, dizziness, severe fatigue, dehydration, or a persistent fever that does not improve. If someone is experiencing any of these severe symptoms, they should seek medical advice,” the UN health agency suggests.
Is hMPV similar to COVID? What everyone should know
According to Dr Harish Bhatia, Founder Director, Rebreathe Clinic, Senior Consultant Chest Specialist, and Physician, Apollo Hospital, with HMPV, most commonly occurring symptoms are fever, cold, runny nose, sore throat etc. but gut issues are rarely observed. But when it comes to COVID-19, it presents as a persistent dry cough, fever, fatigue, difficulty in breathing etc. and a unique characteristic symptom is loss of taste as well as smell. Also gastrointestinal concerns such as nausea or diarrhoea are also evident with coronavirus.
About the symptoms of hMPV, Dr Shubham Vatsya, Senior Consultant Gastroenterology and Hepatology Fortis Hospital Vasant Kunj said, “HMPV hardly represents gastrointestinal concerns and very rarely manifests as nausea or vomiting. But in the case of COVID-19, there are certain gut troubles occurring too such as nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. The symptoms can sometimes precede or co-occur with respiratory issues and may even complicate its diagnosis.”
Dr Shubham Vatsya also talks about the impact of the viruses on gut health. “Though in the case of HMPV, serious ailments of the gut are rare but if systemic infection occurs, dehydration is evident. The main reason behind this is due to poor intake of food. When it comes to COVID-19, gastrointestinal health definitely takes a toll and can even complicate the progression of disease. It can even exacerbate systemic signs. There are reported cases of GI bleeding and hepatocellular injury in the hospitalized patients and even microbiota disturbances have been observed. Long standing coronavirus infection can also cause persistent gut troubles such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS),” he said.
hMPV cases in China declining
Meanwhile in China, cases of hMPV are decreasing. According to Wang Liping, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate of positive cases in human metapneumovirus detection is fluctuating, and the rate of positive cases in northern provinces is declining. “The rate of positive cases among patients aged 14 and below has started to decline,” she told the media. Earlier, several photos and videos emerged on social media showing hospitals in China swamped with people amid rising cases of HMPV — causing respiratory illness — and raising serious concerns of another pandemic akin to Covid-19. The Chinese government has dismissed this as an annual winter occurrence.