New Delhi:
The increasing cases of respiratory diseases in China have raised concerns in India too. In view of the recent news of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) outbreak in China, India is closely monitoring the situation through all available means and WHO has also been requested to share information in timely manner. The Health Ministry gave this information on Saturday. Also said that the country is fully prepared to deal with any increase in respiratory diseases. The ministry said that as a precautionary measure, the number of laboratories testing HMPV cases will be increased and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) will monitor HMPV trends throughout the year.
The ministry said that a meeting of the Joint Monitoring Group (JMG) was held under the chairmanship of the Directorate General of Health Services here on Saturday to discuss the situation.
The meeting included representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO), Disaster Management Cell, Integrated Disease Surveillance Program (IDSP), National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Emergency Medical Relief (EMR) Division and hospitals including AIIMS-Delhi. Experts from participated.
Situation in China is not unusual: Ministry
The ministry said that after detailed discussion and based on currently available information, it was agreed that the situation in China is not unusual given the ongoing flu season.
It said that news reports suggest that the current surge in respiratory illnesses is being caused by influenza virus, RSV and HMPV, which are common pathogens this season.
“The government is closely monitoring the situation through all available means and WHO has also been requested to share timely data regarding the situation in China,” the ministry said.
Figures do not show abnormal growth: Ministry
The ministry said that this virus is already spreading globally. A robust surveillance system for influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) for influenza is already established in India through the ICMR and IDSP networks. The data received from both the networks does not show any unusual increase in ILI and SARI cases.
He also said that the doctors of the hospitals have also confirmed that there has been no unusual increase in the cases of respiratory diseases in the last few weeks, except seasonal changes.
Country ready to deal with respiratory diseases: Ministry
The ICMR network also tests for other respiratory viruses like adenovirus, RSV, HMPV, etc. and these pathogens also do not show any abnormal growth in the samples tested.
The ministry said data obtained from preparedness drills conducted recently across the country shows that the country is well prepared to deal with any increase in respiratory diseases.
