(Image source from: Timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
A director of the China Technical Knowledge Repository on Medical Issues has urged the public not to panic over the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) outbreak in China. The Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Dr. Atul Goyal, suggested universal precautions against all respiratory infections. Dr. Goyal said: "...Otherwise, there is no need to worry about the current situation." Doctors say there is no specific antiviral treatment for HMPV, so prevention is the key to controlling HMPV outbreaks. Dr. Goyal told reporters today: "News has come out about an outbreak of metapneumonia in China." "We have analyzed data on the prevalence of respiratory infections in the country. The data for December 2024 showed no significant increase and none of our institutions reported cases in large numbers,” he said. Dr. Goyal said, "In any case, cases of respiratory viral infections increase in the winter season and hospitals usually have equipment and beds for them."
“One of the things I want to tell people is to take universal precautions for any respiratory infection. This means that if someone has a cough or a cold, we should avoid contact with many people to prevent the infection from spreading." "Please use a tissue or towel when coughing and sneezing, and always take when you have a cold or fever the usual medicines, otherwise there is no need to worry," the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) reported to ANI following the ministry's statement. The health union is also closely monitoring the cases of seasonal influenza and respiratory influenza and stands in contact with international authorities. The outbreak of a new respiratory disease in China has raised concerns about a similar coronavirus situation around the world.
China first spread the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2020, after the World Health Organization asked China to provide more information to understand the origin of the disease. Since then, it has killed millions of people, damaged the economy and overwhelmed the health system. The WHO issued a statement on Monday saying it was a "moral and scientific obligation" for China to share more information. In response, China defended transparency and said it had made "the greatest contribution to global research on origin tracing."
