A 10-month-old baby in Assam’s Dibrugarh has been diagnosed with Human Metapneumovirus. It is the first reported case of the year for the state, officials said.
The child was admitted to Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) for a common cold, and the infection was detected during routine HMPV screening at the Regional VRDL laboratory under ICMR-RMRC. Although the laboratory has identified over 100 cases of HMPV in Dibrugarh since 2014, this is the first case of 2025.
Assam Health Minister Ashok Singhal said that HMPV was not a new virus and the government in state is prepared to follow central advisories for necessary measures.
AMCH Superintendent Dhrubajyoti Bhuyan added more info about the issue, saying “Four days ago, the child was admitted at AMCH for a common cold case. Yesterday only, the kid was found suffering from the infection after a sample test from Lahowal ICMR-RMRC,” he added also mentioning that his condition is stabilized and said: “It’s a common bug that affects infants till five, and there’s nothing to frown upon.
India’s Increasing HMPV Cases
Since January 7, India has reported at least 10 HMPV infections. The first cases were reported in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, followed by confirmations in Gujarat, Nagpur, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad. In total, confirmed cases include two in Bengaluru, one in Gujarat, two in Chennai, three in Kolkata, two in Nagpur, and one in Mumbai.
HMPV infections are not new to India. Cases were reported in December also. Union Health Minister JP Nadda clarified that the virus was first identified in 2001 and has been circulating globally for years.
