Guwahati: With the state of Assam reporting its first case, the number of people who have the disease HMPV in India has hit 15, whereas a 10-month-old is one of the newly infected infants. The infant from Lakhimpur district is currently being treated at Assam Medical College and Hospital, Dibrugarh. However, according to doctors, the condition of the infant is already stable, so there is no reason for concern.
The latest infection was reported just after Rajasthan and Gujarat confirmed one new case each on Friday. Now, Gujarat has four confirmed cases, which, according to the health officials, are the main reason for the alarming news across the country.
China’s HMPV situation has gone quite high, which is the reason for Sikkim to issue an alert to people about being careful. Being located nearby the Tibet Autonomous Region with a 200-kilometre border, Sikkim’s Chief Secretary has had a meeting with the Health and Family Welfare Department recently to decide what the current risk is and what kind of preparation the state has.
Taking into account the fact that HMPV is becoming more frequent, the Centre has come to the conclusion that states should strengthen their respiratory disease surveillance. In a virtual meeting, the Union Health Secretary, Punya Salila Srivastava, pointed out the necessity to enhance and analyse the Influenza-like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) tracking.
Srivastava also stated that states should encourage people to be more careful and avoid virus contraction. The guidelines reiterated the need for frequent hand washing with soap, refraining from touching eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands, keeping a safe distance from symptomatic individuals, and covering the mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing.
As India is dealing with the HPMV epidemic, health officials ask the citizens to keep a high alert and to follow the control standards, including good hygiene.