CHENNAI: Health Minister Ma Subramanian on Tuesday conducted a review meeting along with Health Secretary Supriya Sahu and other health department officials, and allayed fears regarding the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV). It is not a new virus, and is usually a self-limiting, mild infection, he said.
Two people, one in Chennai and another in Salem who tested positive for HMPV are stable, the minister told reporters. The patient in Salem has cancer and comorbidities like high blood pressure and diabetes. The patient in Chennai is a 45-year-old man, he added.
If people with fever, cough and cold go to doctors or laboratories and get tested, one out of 10 or 20 may be affected by HMPV, and it is not a new virus. Taking basic precautionary measures like wearing a face mask when going to crowded places and frequently washing hands with soap are advised, Subramanian said.
S Raju, deputy director, State Public Health Laboratory, Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said as part of flu surveillance, a multiplex PCR test is done for a group of pathogens. Even five months ago, during one such test, out of 350 samples one case of HMPV was detected. There is nothing to worry, he said.
Meanwhile, compared to last year, there is an increase in pneumonia cases this year, according to doctors.
Dr Janani Sankar, medical director of Kanchi Kamakoti Childs Trust Hospital, said, “Currently, there is an increase in pneumonia cases. Three out of 10 children turn out to be affected.”