There is no need to panic amid outbreak of the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China, one of Kashmir's leading pulmonologists Dr Naveed Nazir Shah said on Saturday.
Dr Naveed, who is the Head of a department in Chest Disease Hospital Srinagar, told GNS that HMPV is an old virus and causes similar illness as that of respiratory viruses, mostly like common cold.
“It may cause lower respiratory illness but there is nothing to be alarmed,” he said and advised the people to take the general precautions that are used to prevent respiratory infections which means if someone has a cough and cold they should avoid coming in contact with others so that the infection does not spread.
“There is no specific treatment available for the virus so precautionary measures remain the key. Anyone suffering from any cold and respiratory tract infection should isolate himself,” he said.
On Friday, reports quoting a senior official of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said that the agency was closely monitoring respiratory and seasonal influenza cases in the country, and that it was in touch with international agencies in the wake of the recent reports of the outbreak of HMPV in China.
“There is news doing the rounds about a Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) outbreak in China. However, we have analysed the data of the respiratory outbreaks in the country (India) and there is no substantial increase in the December 2024 data, and no cases have been reported in large numbers from any of our institutions,” the official had said and urged public that there was nothing to be alarmed about the present situation. (GNS)
