City Desk :
A case of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) has been detected in Bangladesh, according to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).
A woman from Bhairab in Kishoreganj was confirmed to have contracted the virus, IEDCR revealed on Sunday.
IEDCR Director Prof. Tahmina Shirin said, “Every year, a few cases of HMPV infection are identified. This virus is not new; it has been detected in various countries including in Bangladesh,”reports UNB.
On January 8, a press briefing by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) highlighted a rising prevalence of HMPV in China following the COVID-19 pandemic, sparking global concerns over a potential health crisis.
Prof. Tahmina said akthough the virus is not new increased awareness and surveillance are necessary to monitor its impact.
HMPV is known to cause respiratory infections, particularly among children, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems.
First identified in the Netherlands in 2001, HMPV spreads through direct contact between people, or when someone touches a contaminated surface.
Symptoms for most people include a cough, a fever and blocked nose.
The very young, including children under two, are most vulnerable to the virus.
It also poses a greater risk to those with weakened immune systems, including the elderly and those with advanced cancer, according to Hsu Li Yang, an infectious diseases specialist in Singapore.
If infected, a “small but significant proportion” of immunocompromised people can develop more severe disease where the lungs are affected, with wheezing, breathlessness and symptoms of croup.
“Many will require hospital care, with a smaller proportion at risk of dying from the infection,” Dr Hsu said.
Like many respiratory infections, HMPV is most active during late winter and spring.
This is because viruses survive better in the cold, and can pass more easily from one person to another as people spend more time indoors with closed windows.
