Hospital stocks surge up to 2% after India reports 3 confirmed cases of HMPV

Even as India's heartbeat indices Sensex and Nifty plunged 1.6% on Monday, certain hospital stocks attracted investors' attention after the government confirmed three confirmed cases of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) — 2 in Karnataka and one in Gujarat — amid reports of a virus outbreak creating havoc in China.

Bengaluru-based Narayana Hrudayalaya shot up 3.4% to hit the day's high of Rs 1,355 on the NSE while Rainbow Childrens Medicare was up 4% in the intraday trade. Others including Apollo Hospitals, Aster DM Healthcare, Krishna Institute of Medical Science (KIMS) were up by up to 2% in the day's trade.

Shares of Narayana closed at 1,314 on the NSE, up by Rs 3.60 or 0.27% while those of Rainbow finished at Rs 1,584.90, higher by Rs 27.10 or 1.74%.

Apollo Hospitals shares closed at Rs 7,440, gaining 1.9% over the Friday closing price. Aster DM conceded its morning gains finally settling with minor declines at Rs 521. KIMS ended at Rs 631, gaining by 0.53%.

The fear gauge index, India VIX, jumped 13% as a widespread sell-off was seen across mid and smallcap stocks as well as in various sectors. The Sensex fell over 1,200 points to its day's low of 77,781.62, while the Nifty tumbled near the 23,600 level.

While confirming the detection of 3 HMPV cases, the Union Health Ministry said the cases were found through routine surveillance for multiple respiratory viral pathogens, as part of ICMR's ongoing efforts to monitor respiratory illnesses across India.

Two of the cases are of infants, who had no history of international travel. While the 3-month-old female infant, who was diagnosed with HMPV after being admitted to Baptist Hospital, Bengaluru with a history of bronchopneumonia, has been discharged, an 8-month-old male infant, who tested positive for HMPV on January 3, 2025, is now recovering.

"It is emphasized that HMPV is already in circulation globally, including in India, and cases of respiratory illnesses associated with HMPV have been reported in various countries. Furthermore, based on current data from ICMR and the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) network, there has been no unusual surge in Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) or Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (SARI) cases in the country," the Health Ministry said.

The ministry said it is monitoring the situation through all available surveillance channels.

“ICMR will continue to track trends in HMPV circulation throughout the year. The World Health Organization (WHO) is already providing timely updates regarding the situation in China to further inform ongoing measures. The recent preparedness drill conducted across the country has shown that India is well-equipped to handle any potential increase in respiratory illnesses and public health interventions can be deployed promptly if needed," the ministry said.

Individually, ITC, HDFC Bank and Reliance Industries did the maximum damage.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)