my uttarakhand news | DEHRADUN The State health department has come into an alert mode following reporting of three cases of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) in Karnataka and issued guidelines to prevent the spread of the disease on Monday. In a letter directed to the directors ( Garhwal and Kumaon) of the department, all district magistrates and the chief medical officers, the officiating director general (DG) of State health services Dr Sunita Tamta said that all the hospitals should have adequate number of isolation beds, oxygen beds, ICU beds and ventilators for the patients of pneumonia and influenza. All the hospitals will also keep stock of PPE kits, N-95, masks and VTM vials. She said that the strict vigil of the patients suffering from influenza like virus (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) should be done and all such patients should be registered on the integrated health information platform (IHIP) portal of the department. Immediate control and preventive measures should be taken on occurrence of clustering of ILI/ SARI patients at the community level. The officiating DG also directed the department to undertake an extensive awareness campaign for prevention of Influenza and pneumonia in the State. Special care of the children, elderly and persons with co -morbidity should be done and people should avoid going to crowded places. Dr Tamta said that till date no patient of HMPV has been reported in the State. She said that HMPV has symptoms similar to the normal cold and cough and its patients become well after three to five days. The officiating DG added there is no need to spread panic and get frightened by the disease.