India: Gujarat reports second HMPV patient, an 80-year-old man

An 80-year-old man tested positive for human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infection in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat on Thursday (Jan 9), officials said.

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The patient is currently receiving treatment at a private hospital and he does not have any travel history abroad, a statement issued by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) said.

He was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday and his samples tested positive for HMPV on Thursday. The man has been suffering from asthma for some time and his condition is stable at present, it said.

Gujarat recorded its first case of the HMPV virus on January 6. A two-month-old boy from Rajasthan was found infected and discharged after undergoing treatment at a hospital here.

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On Wednesday, a suspected case was reported in Himmatnagar town of Sabarkantha district.

The blood sample of the patient, an eight-year-old boy, who is currently on a ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital in Himmatnagar, has been sent to a government hospital for confirmation, the officials said.

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HMPV was first discovered in 2001 and belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family. It is closely related to the Respiratory Syncytial Virus. It spreads through respiratory droplets from coughing or sneezing, as well as by touching contaminated surfaces or coming into direct contact with infected individuals.

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