HMPV isn't Covid, nor is its response

GoI's response to reports of a large and growing number of cases of the respiratory illness, human metapneumovirus (HMPV), in China has been measured. It has rightly asked WHO to update information and provide an alert on the severity of the situation while allaying concerns among the general population. India's first response to possible public health emergencies in the post-Covid pandemic period has been responsible.

There is a big difference between the Covid outbreak five years ago and the latest outbreak. With Covid, the scientific and medical community was dealing with a new virus. HMPV is not new. The scientific and medical community have known about it since 2001 when it was isolated in the Netherlands. Also, unlike Covid, which saw little transparency after its outbreak in Wuhan, HMPV is being tracked. Past records show that HMPV is seasonal. Neither WHO nor the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CCDC) has declared it as a health emergency. GoI must ensure that it has the wherewithal to undertake the requisite logistical response and provide support, should it be necessary.

It's an opportune moment to assess if India has the systems and practices in place that can respond to an outbreak of this respiratory illness. Focus must be on stepping up capacity of primary healthcare centres, improving sanitation to ensure clean cities and towns, improved waste management and greater ambition to tackle air pollution. Clean air is critical to improving a population's resistance to respiratory diseases. Greater investment in tracking, testing and developing antidotes for zoonotic diseases is needed. India should continue working with partners for a global mechanism that shares info on possible health emergencies.