A 10-month-old child has been detected with the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infection, the first such case this season in Assam, officials said on Saturday. The child is undergoing treatment at Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh and is “stable” now, they said. AMCH Superintendent Dr Dhrubajyoti Bhuyan said the child was admitted to the state-run hospital with cold-related symptoms four days ago.

“The HMPV infection was confirmed yesterday after we got test results from Lahowal-based ICMR-RMRC,” the hospital superintendent said. Bhuyan said that samples are sent to the Indian Council of Medical Research for tests in influenza and flu-related cases as a routine practice. “It was a routine test during which the HMPV infection was detected. The child is stable now. It is a common virus and there is nothing to worry about,” he said.