No surge in respiratory illness: Ministry

In view of reports about rising cases of respiratory illnesses in China in the past few weeks, a meeting of the joint monitoring group was held on Saturday. The meeting was chaired by the Director General of Health Services, Dr Atul Goel.

The Health Ministry said during the discussion, it emerged that the situation in China was not unusual in view of the ongoing flu season.

It said India was closely monitoring the situation and the surveillance by the ministry showed no surge in illness.

“Reports suggest that the cause of the present surge is influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus (HMPV) — the usual pathogens that are expected during the season,” the ministry said.

The ministry said the government had requested the World Health Organisation to share timely updates regarding the situation in China.