Bengaluru: Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao told media persons after a high-level meeting with health officials that HMPV is not a new virus or a cause for alarm.

“This is not the first time HMPV has been detected in Karnataka. Monitoring for it was not conducted earlier,” he said and explained that the virus has long been present, typically causing mild flu-like symptoms such as cold and cough.

He noted that their outbreak appears linked to a new HMPV variant. “The Government of India is working to gather more details. Until then, it is premature to speculate about any similarities between their cases and ours,” he added.

Rao further stated that the Union Government is monitoring the situation and deciding whether the virus poses a significant public health risk. He advised against initiating widespread testing without first understanding the strain circulating in China. “We need more information before considering PCR testing for HMPV on a large scale,” he said.