Officials in India have confirmed the country's first seven cases of human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, which is reportedly surging in neighboring China.

A handful of cases of the Human Metapneumovirus have been confirmed in India but officials say there's no cause for alarm, according to multiple reports.

Two children, aged seven and 13, tested positive for HMPV virus at a private hospital in Nagpur, Maharashtra in India.

China’s winter illness season is less severe compared to the year before, according to data from its health authority. But the proliferation of a long-standing though little-known pathogen called human metapneumovirus (hMPV) has been raising alarm both at home and in other countries.

India confirmed its first cases of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infections in children, with a total of seven cases reported as of Tuesday. The cases were reported in Bengaluru, Nagpur, Tamil Nadu and Ahmedabad,

International media reports have said hospitals are being ‘overwhelmed’ by cases, but medical staff say that is not the case.