Lucknow: Lucknow’s first HMPV-infected woman has died while receiving treatment at Balrampur Hospital. Although her report came back negative on January 10, the woman had multiple health issues, including tuberculosis, kidney problems, high blood pressure and heart disease.
The elderly woman, living near Hanuman Mandir in Nehru Nagar, Moti Nagar, began experiencing symptoms of cough and fever on November 22. After local treatments proved ineffective, she sought medical attention at a private hospital on Kanpur Road in January. Doctors suspected pneumonia and HMPV infection and on January 7, her sample was tested at a private pathology centre, which confirmed HMPV infection. She was then admitted to Balrampur Hospital.
Conflicting test results
At Balrampur Hospital, doctors collected another sample and sent it, along with the previous one, to KGMU’s microbiology lab for further testing. The sample from the private hospital returned positive for HMPV, while the one from Balrampur Hospital showed negative results. Due to her deteriorating condition, the woman was moved to the ICU, where she later passed away.
Dr Himanshu Chaturvedi, the Medical Superintendent at Balrampur Hospital, said, “The woman’s HMPV report was negative. She had several other health conditions, including tuberculosis, kidney issues, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Her condition worsened on Monday, which led to her transfer to the ICU, where she passed away during treatment.”
HMPV cases in India
India has reported nine cases of HMPV so far, including three in Gujarat and others in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Mumbai. The Health Secretary has reviewed the situation and asked states to increase awareness and monitoring of respiratory illnesses. However, the Health Secretary said, there is no need to worry, as HMPV has been present worldwide since 2001.
