Rising HMPV Cases in Gujarat Concern Health Officials

An eight-year-old in Gujarat's Sabarkantha district tested positive for human metapneumovirus, marking the state's third case. Health officials confirmed the infection. The boy's condition is stable, under hospital care. The virus, related to the Respiratory Syncytial Virus, spreads through droplets and contact with contaminated surfaces.

An eight-year-old boy from Gujarat's Sabarkantha district has been confirmed as the state's third case of human metapneumovirus (HMPV), an official reported Friday.

The boy, son of farm laborers from Prantij taluka, initially tested positive for HMPV in a private lab, prompting government health authorities to verify the diagnosis with further testing.

Currently hospitalized in Himmatnagar, his condition remains stable, according to District Collector Ratankanvar Gadhavicharan. HMPV shares similarities with respiratory syncytial viruses, spreading via droplets or contact with contaminated surfaces.

(With inputs from agencies.)