A private laboratory in the city revealed that they had really found 11 HMPV-positive infections last month, defying the Telangana Public Health department’s assertions that no instances of the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) had been reported in the state.
258 respiratory samples from individuals with different viral illnesses were tested by the private laboratory Mani Microbiological Laboratory in Hyderabad. A total of 205 of these samples had positive results for various upper respiratory tract diseases.
According to the Mani Microbiology Laboratory’s respiratory viral pneumonia panel data collected in December 2024, eleven of the samples had positive HMPV tests. Every case with a positive HMPV test had also recovered.
“Those who believe that HMPV is something new or innovative should not panic. HMPV has long been present in India, according to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). According to Dr. Sivaranjini Santosh, a top paediatric specialist from Hyderabad, around 5% of the samples examined by this specific laboratory had positive results for HMPV.
In addition to HMPV, the microbiology lab’s testing results showed that 33 samples tested positive for adenovirus, 62 samples tested positive for rhinovirus, and 94 samples tested positive for bacterial pneumonia, all of which cause the flu or common cold. One person tested positive for H1N1, while samples from nine people tested positive for influenza.
As you know already seven instances of the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV), a respiratory virus that recently attracted attention following an epidemic in China, have been reported from India. According to the Center, “there is no reason to panic” because the HMPV is already “circulated” throughout the world.
-Raja Aditya
