HMPV virus: How doctors are using social media, humour to educate people
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. It has been over two weeks since China reported cases of the HMPV (human metapneumovirus) virus, and this has caused covid-19-like panic across the globe, more so in Asia. The number of cases reported in India has surged to 13 (at the time of writing this story) — the most recent one, according to a report by Mint, being a 9-month-old child in Gujarat.
Doctors, however, have been reiterating that the HMPV virus needn’t be a cause for panic or anxiety. Besides bulletins and reports, what’s notable is how medical professionals, in their own way, have taken to posting reels - laced with a dash of humour – to quell panic. Take ENT surgeon and comedian Dr Jagdish Chaturvedi for instance.
A recent post of Chaturvedi, on his Instagram handle (@drjagdishchatur) has him pretending to be the HMPV virus and talking in a pronounced accent to convey one core message: the HMPV virus is completely unrelated to the covid-19 virus and – crucially – not as deadly. “Don’t insult us" he says, as if talking on behalf of the ‘virus in the spotlight’. To simplify the characteristics of the virus, Chaturvedi uses the familiar analogy of a tourist.
“We are like (travel) vloggers, we come, sightsee and go", he says. He clarifies a few more points: a person infected by the virus doesn’t need any medication as such. And it is people with asthma or other respiratory conditions who need to take extra precautions.
“Thank you so much Doc !! Very nicely explained.. it's good to see an honest and logical approach to this rather than all the fear mongering going on currently relating to this", reads a viewer comment on the reel that’s got over 48k likes. Dermatologist and venerealogist Dr Agni Kumar Bose and
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