NAGPUR: Two suspected cases of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) were detected in Maharashtra's Nagpur, and both patients were in "good health" while their samples have been collected, a senior official said on Tuesday.
The patients were sent home after treatment, and their samples have been sent to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and National Institute of Virology in Pune, the official said.
Talking to reporters, District Collector Vipin Itankar said, "The media reports about HMPV patients in Nagpur are wrong.
Two children aged seven and 14 were treated in the outpatient department of a private hospital, and their samples were tested and marked as suspected."
The samples have now been sent to AIIMS Nagpur and NIV Pune, he said, adding that the children were in good health.
Itankar said there were no HMPV patients in Nagpur, and there was no need to panic.
HMPV is one of the many respiratory viruses that can cause infections in people of all ages, particularly during the winter and early spring months.
The virus infection is usually mild and self-limiting, and most patients recover on their own.
Five cases of HMPV were confirmed in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat.