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The situation in China is not unusual in view of the ongoing flu season, a joint monitoring group has said amid reports of a surge in cases of the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) in the neighbouring country.
The meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in Delhi today, the government said in a statement.
Experts from the World Health Organisation, Disaster Management Cell, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), National Centre for Disease Control, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Emergency Medical Relief Division, and hospitals, including AIIMS-Delhi participated.
The joint monitoring group agreed that the cause of the present surge in China is the influenza virus, RSV and HMPV - the usual pathogens that are expected during the season, the government said in the statement.
It said the government is keeping a close watch over the situation through all available channels and the WHO has been asked to share timely updates regarding the situation in China.
A robust surveillance system for influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) for influenza is already in place in India through both the ICMR and IDSP networks, and data from both indicates no unusual surge in ILI and SARI cases, the government said.
Physicians from hospitals confirmed there is no surge in respiratory illness cases in the last few weeks other than the expected seasonal variation.
The ICMR network also tests for other respiratory viruses such as adenovirus, RSV, HMPV, etc and these pathogens do not show an unusual increase in the tested samples, the government said.
As a precautionary measure, the ICMR will enhance the number of laboratories testing for HMPV, and will monitor trends of HMPV for the entire year.
Data from the recently conducted preparedness drill across the country indicated that India is well-prepared to deal with any increase in respiratory illnesses, the government said.
A top official of the country's repository of technical knowledge on medical issues yesterday asked people not to panic over the spread of the HMPV in China. Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) official Dr Atul Goel suggested taking general precautions against all respiratory infections.
"... Otherwise, there is nothing to be alarmed about the present situation," Dr Goel said.
There is no specific antiviral treatment for HMPV, so prevention is key to controlling its spread, doctors have said.
"There has been news doing the rounds about a Metapneumovirus outbreak in China. Let me be very clear on that count. Metapneumovirus is like any other respiratory virus which causes common cold, and in the very old and the very young it could cause flu-like symptoms," Dr Goel told reporters Friday.
"We have analysed data of the respiratory outbreaks within the country. There is no substantial increase in December 2024 data and no cases which have been reported in large numbers from any of our institutions," he said.
Dr Goel said there is anyway an increased outbreak of respiratory virus infections in winter, for which hospitals are usually prepared with supplies and beds.