Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Nothing alarming: on China’s HMPV cases

Nothing alarming: on China’s HMPV cases

Reports of many HMPV cases in China is reflection (प्रतिबिंब, अभिव्यक्ति) of heightened (बढ़ा हुआ, तीव्र) surveillance (निगरानी, निरीक्षण)

Five years after the SARS-CoV-2 virus overwhelmed hospitals in Wuhan, China, acute (तीव्र, गंभीर) respiratory diseases caused by viruses including the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) (is a common respiratory virus that causes lower and upper respiratory infections (like a cold). It is a seasonal disease that usually occurs in the winter and early spring. The HMPV virus was first identified in children in 2001 in the Netherlands) in children and the elderly, and influenza (it is commonly known as “the flu”, is an infectious disease caused by an influenza virus) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (a respiratory virus that infects the lungs and breathing passages and can be serious, especially for infants and older adults. It usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms in most people), are increasing in the country, especially in its northern provinces (प्रांत, क्षेत्र, राज्य). However, the sharp rise in acute respiratory diseases is not unusual during this time of the year, and as per a Chinese official (अधिकारी, प्रतिनिधि), the overall number of cases in 2024 would be “smaller” than in 2023. Surprisingly, while the World Health Organization (विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not raised a red flag (warning, caution, alarm bells) so far (अब तक, अभी तक) and there is almost nil (शून्य, कुछ भी नहीं) reporting in the international media, the Indian media is awash with (filled, loaded, full of, rife, overladen, flooded, fraught, swamped) reports of an HMPV “outbreak (प्रकोप)” in China. A recent meeting of the Joint Monitoring Group under the aegis of the Union Health Ministry noted that the situation in China is “not unusual in view of (considering, taking into consideration, bearing in mind, keeping in mind, as a result of, because of, owing to) the ongoing (चल रहा, जारी) flu season”, and the “usual pathogens (रोगजनक, रोग पैदा करने वाला जीवाणु/वायरस) that are expected during the season” are causing the present surge (तेज वृद्धि, अचानक उछाल) in respiratory diseases. The HMPV virus was first identified in children in 2001 in the Netherlands. Infection with HMPV usually occurs by the age of five years with reinfection occurring throughout life as immune (resistant to a particular infectious disease/pathogen) protection induced (प्रेरित करना, उत्पन्न करना) by the virus is too weak to prevent repeated infections. The virus causes upper and/or lower respiratory tract infections, with lower respiratory tract (passage from upper (mouth & nose) to lower (throat and lungs) organs through which air passes during breathing) infections being among the most common. While the virus often causes only mild disease, it can lead to (result in, cause, bring on, bring about, give rise to) severe illness requiring hospitalisation (the act of taking (or) admitting someone to (or) in hospital for treatment) in children, immunocompromised (having a weakened immune system) populations and the elderly (the aged/old people).

Globally, 3%-10% of hospital admissions and 1% of acute lower respiratory infection-related deaths in children under age five in 2018 are attributed (connect with associate with, ascribe to) to HMPV, as per a 2021 paper. The study also found that children younger than six months, especially those in low- and lower-middle-income countries, are at greater risk of death caused by the HMPV virus. Detection of a large number of HMPV cases among children aged less than 14 years in China is a reflection of the heightened surveillance and testing for the virus. On the contrary (conversely, just the opposite), India does not have any approved inexpensive tests that are widely (extensively; in many places) available for diagnosing (identify the nature and cause of an illness/condition by examination) the virus. When testing for HMPV in patients with acute respiratory disease should be routine, as the virus has been in circulation (spreading from person to person or going/passing from place to place) for years globally, including India, and fatality (death, casualty, mortality/loss) is 1% in young children, India is only now expanding the number of laboratories testing for HMPV beyond the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) (the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world. As early as in 1911, the Government of India set up the Indian Research Fund Association (IRFA) with the specific objective of sponsoring and coordinating medical research in the country. It was redesignated in 1949 as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The ICMR is funded by the Government of India through the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare) network due to (because of, as a result of, thanks to, on account of, owing to) the spike (a sharp rise/increase of something) in HMPV cases in China. What is also urgently needed is a regulatory framework (legal mechanisms that exist on national and international levels) that facilitates (make easy, assist, help, aid, expedite, speed up, accelerate) a rapid approval of diagnostic (relating to the process of identifying a disease) tests in the context (circumstances, conditions, situation) of local and global outbreaks of novel (new, unknown, unusual, unfamiliar, different, untested, strange) and less known pathogens.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.alarming (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - चिंताजनक, खतरनाक
English Meaning - worrying, disturbing, shocking, distressing, terrifying, frightening, scary, intimidating.

2.reflection (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिबिंब, अभिव्यक्ति
English Meaning - indication, display, demonstration, expression, proof, evidence.

3.heightened (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - बढ़ा हुआ, तीव्र
English Meaning - increased, intensified, escalated, accelerated, augmented.

4.surveillance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - निगरानी, निरीक्षण
English Meaning - monitoring, observation, scrutiny, inspection.

5.acute (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - तीव्र, गंभीर
English Meaning - serious, severe, critical, dangerous, terrible, awful, life-threatening.

6.province (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रांत, क्षेत्र, राज्य
English Meaning - a part of a country that has its own government; territory, region, area, state.

7.official (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अधिकारी, प्रतिनिधि
English Meaning - officer, office-holder, representative, bureaucrat, functionary, administrator, executive, authorities, officialdom, the people in charge.

8.World Health Organization (WHO) (noun)

Hindi Meaning - विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन
English Meaning - Founded in 1948, WHO is the United Nations agency that connects nations, partners and people to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable- so everyone, everywhere can attain the highest level of health.

9.so far (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - अब तक, अभी तक
English Meaning - until now, up to the present, up to this point.

10.nil (noun/adjective)

Hindi Meaning - शून्य, कुछ भी नहीं
English Meaning - zero, nothing, none.

11.outbreak (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रकोप
English Meaning - outburst, flaring up, breakout, sudden appearance/occurrence of something.

12.ongoing (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - चल रहा, जारी
English Meaning - current, existing, continuing.

13.pathogen (noun)

Hindi Meaning - रोगजनक, रोग पैदा करने वाला जीवाणु/वायरस
English Meaning - a bacteria/virus that causes disease.

14.surge (noun)

Hindi Meaning - तेज वृद्धि, अचानक उछाल
English Meaning - sudden increase or rise of something.

15.induce (verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रेरित करना, उत्पन्न करना
English Meaning - cause, produce, generate, bring about, give rise to.

16.Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) (noun)

English Meaning - is a common respiratory virus that causes lower and upper respiratory infections (like a cold). It is a seasonal disease that usually occurs in the winter and early spring. The HMPV virus was first identified in children in 2001 in the Netherlands.

17.novel coronavirus (nCoV) (SARS-CoV-2) (noun)

English Meaning - a new strain (type/variety) coronavirus that has not been previously identified in humans.

18.severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) (noun)

English Meaning - SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is thought to be an animal virus from an as-yet-uncertain animal reservoir, perhaps bats, that spread to other animals (civet cats). It is a viral (human-to-human transmission) that can cause severe respiratory illness or death.

19.overwhelm (verb)

English Meaning - overload, overburden, flood, swamp, beset, afflict/strain.

20.respiratory (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to (organs that are involved in) breathing

21.influenza (noun)

English Meaning - it is commonly known as “the flu”, is an infectious disease caused by an influenza virus.

22.respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (noun)

English Meaning - a respiratory virus that infects the lungs and breathing passages and can be serious, especially for infants and older adults. It usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms in most people.

23.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (noun)

English Meaning - The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. CDC is the U.S’s leading science-based, data-driven, service organization that protects the public’s health.

24.red flag (noun)

English Meaning - warning, caution, alarm bells.

25.awash with (verb)

English Meaning - filled, loaded, full of, rife, overladen, flooded, fraught, swamped.

26.under the aegis/auspices of (phrase)

English Meaning - with the support/help/protection of someone/something; backing, patronage, sponsorship, guidance, assistance, influence, responsibility, care

27.in view of (phrase)

English Meaning - considering, taking into consideration, bearing in mind, keeping in mind, as a result of, because of, owing to.

28.immune (adjective)

English Meaning - resistant to a particular infectious disease/pathogen.

29.respiratory tract (noun)

English Meaning - passage from upper (mouth & nose) to lower (throat and lungs) organs through which air passes during breathing.

30.lead to (verb)

English Meaning - result in, cause, bring on, bring about, give rise to.

31.hospitalisation (noun)

English Meaning - the act of taking (or) admitting someone to (or) in hospital for treatment.

32.immunocompromised (adjective)

English Meaning - having a weakened immune system.

33.the elderly (noun)

English Meaning - the aged/old people.

34.attribute (verb)

English Meaning - connect with associate with, ascribe to.

35.on the contrary (phrase)

English Meaning - conversely, just the opposite.

36.widely (adverb)

English Meaning - extensively; in many places.

37.diagnose (verb)

English Meaning - identify the nature and cause of an illness/condition by examination.

38.in circulation (phrase)

English Meaning - spreading from person to person or going/passing from place to place.

39.fatality (noun)

English Meaning - death, casualty, mortality/loss.

40.Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) (noun)

English Meaning - the apex body in India for the formulation, coordination and promotion of biomedical research, is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world. As early as in 1911, the Government of India set up the Indian Research Fund Association (IRFA) with the specific objective of sponsoring and coordinating medical research in the country. It was redesignated in 1949 as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The ICMR is funded by the Government of India through the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

41.due to (phrase)

English Meaning - because of, as a result of, thanks to, on account of, owing to.

42.spike (noun)

English Meaning - a sharp rise/increase of something.

43.regulatory (adjective)

English Meaning - governmental, executive, supervisory, managerial, governing; administrative, official.

44.framework (noun)

English Meaning - structure, system, organization.

45.regulatory framework (noun)

English Meaning - legal mechanisms that exist on national and international levels.

46.facilitate (verb)

English Meaning - make easy, assist, help, aid, expedite, speed up, accelerate.