Pune, Mumbai, And Nagpur Labs To Conduct HMPV Testing As Health Authorities Monitor Respiratory Illnesses

Mumbai, 10th January 2025: Testing for Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) in suspected respiratory illness cases will now be conducted not only at Pune’s National Institute of Virology (NIV) but also at laboratories in Mumbai’s Kasturba Hospital for Infectious Diseases and Nagpur’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences. These facilities will additionally perform genomic sequencing to analyze HMPV’s genetic composition and transmission patterns.

This decision comes in response to a surge in severe acute respiratory illness cases in China, where HMPV has been identified as a significant cause. The Health Department has reassured the public that HMPV is not new, having been first discovered in the Netherlands in 2001 and reported worldwide.

While HMPV typically results in mild respiratory infections, it can cause severe complications in individuals with weakened immune systems. The virus spreads through close contact with infected individuals, respiratory droplets, or contaminated surfaces. Symptoms include coughing, fever, runny nose, sore throat, and breathing difficulties.

Health authorities have urged the public to follow preventive measures, such as regular handwashing, maintaining cough hygiene, cleaning frequently touched surfaces, and avoiding contact with infected individuals. Instructions have also been issued to district collectors and administrative officials to enforce these measures across Maharashtra.

The three designated laboratories in Maharashtra will first screen respiratory samples for severe acute respiratory illness (SARI), seasonal influenza, COVID-19, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) before conducting HMPV tests. Genomic sequencing will be carried out on samples that test positive for HMPV for further research.

Between January and December 2024, the NIV laboratory in Pune, working with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), tested around 9,500 samples for HMPV. Approximately 3% of these samples were positive, with all affected individuals experiencing mild symptoms and making a full recovery. The Health Department also confirmed no significant rise in SARI cases so far.