The Indian Council of Medical Research has detected two cases of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) in Karnataka through routine surveillance for multiple respiratory viral pathogens, the Union health ministry said on Monday.

A three-month-old female infant with a history of bronchopneumonia was diagnosed with HMPV after being admitted to Baptist Hospital in Bengaluru. She has already been discharged, the ministry said.

An eight-month-old male infant with a history of bronchopneumonia tested positive for HMPV on January 3 after being admitted to Baptist Hospital. He is now recovering, it said.

It is important to note that neither of the patients has any history of international travel, the ministry underlined.

It emphasised that HMPV is already in circulation globally, including in India, and cases of respiratory illnesses associated with it have been reported in various countries.

Furthermore, based on the current data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) network, there has been no unusual surge in influenza-like illness (ILI) or Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases in the country, it added.

The ministry said it is monitoring the situation through all available surveillance channels. The ICMR will continue to track trends in HMPV circulation throughout the year.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is already providing timely updates regarding the situation in China to further inform the ongoing measures.

The recent preparedness drill conducted across the country has shown that India is well-equipped to handle any potential increase in respiratory illnesses, and public health interventions can be deployed promptly if needed, the ministry stated.

Meanwhile, Karnataka State Health Minister Dinesh Gundurao said that there is no need to panic. “A certain percentage of people get affected by this virus. It is not new. The child that has been affected has no travel history to China or Malaysia; I think there is no connection to that. China says it’s a new variant of HMPV, and we don’t have information on that yet,” he added.

He further said that the state has more detailed information about the virus from the union government.