India's first case of Human MetaPnuemoVirus or HMPV was detected in Bengaluru on Monday (Jan 6). An eight-month-old baby was diagnosed with the virus after being admitted to a private hospital with persistent fever. The virus was confirmed during routine blood tests. The baby also has no travel history to China, from where the HMPV cases have been reported continuously in past few days.

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At the time of writing this, Karnataka's health department has not given any confirmation.

According to sources cited in Indian media, the department has received the sample which will be sent to Pune for testing.

Also read: No cause for alarm: Indian health officials on hMPV spread in China

The department also lacks information on the strain of the virus spreading in China, as  authorities there have not shared any data on the variant discovered in that country.

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On Saturday, Karnataka's health department released an advisory after China warned about the outbreak of HMPV in several cities. 

The advisory said, "There has been no case of HMPV reported in the State of Karnataka."

It added that department has analysed the data on current respiratory infections in the state and there was no increase in the reported number of cases in December 2024 compared to the previous year.

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Indian capital Delhi issues advisory

Delhi health authorities also issued an advisory to ensure preparedness in case of an outbreak.

Strict isolation protocols and use of universal precautions for even suspected cases have been made mandatory.

The hospitals have also been advised to maintain a documentation of such cases to ensure accuracy in monitoring. 

Also read: Delhi issues health advisory amid rising respiratory illness cases in China

Vandana Bagga, Director General of Health Services, also held a meeting with state programme office of IDSP and chief district medical officers on Sunday.

She discussed the preparedness for the situation if an outbreak of HMPV virus happens in the national capital.

The Union Health Ministry has also taken cognisance of the situation and asked general public to not panic.

The ministry said that India has requested the World Health Organisation for regular updates and was closely monitoring the global situation of HMPV through various channels.