What you need to know about human metapneumovirus infection in China

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In recent weeks, images of Chinese hospitals filled with masked people have circulated on social media, raising fears of a new pandemic.

Since then, the Chinese government has acknowledged that the number of influenza-like human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infections is rapidly increasing, especially among children, and attributes this to a seasonal surge.

But HMPV is not similar to COVID-19, public health experts say, and the virus has been around for decades and nearly all children are infected by their fifth birthday. He pointed out that he was doing so.

However, it can cause more severe illness in some very young children and people with weakened immune systems. Here's what you need to know:

What is HMPV and how is it widespread?

HMPV is a virus that causes a mild upper respiratory tract infection (virtually indistinguishable from influenza) for most people.

The virus was first identified in the Netherlands in 2001 and spreads through direct person-to-person contact or when someone touches a surface contaminated with the virus.

Symptoms for most people include cough, fever, and nasal congestion.

Singaporean infectious disease physician Sue Lee Yang said very young people, including children under the age of two, are at risk, as are older people and people with weakened immune systems, such as people with advanced cancer. , are said to be the most vulnerable to viruses.

Once infected, a “small but significant proportion” of immunocompromised people develop a more severe disease that affects the lungs, with symptoms of wheezing, shortness of breath and croup.

“Many people will require hospital treatment, but only a small number are at risk of dying from the infection,” Dr Hsu said.

Why are the number of infected people increasing in China?

Like many respiratory infections, HMPV is most active in late winter and spring. Some experts say this is because the virus survives better in the cold, where people stay indoors more, and is more easily transmitted from person to person.

In northern China, the current HMPV surge coincides with low temperatures expected to continue into March.

In fact, the prevalence of HMPV is increasing in many countries in the Northern Hemisphere, including but not limited to China, said Jacqueline Stevens, an epidemiologist at Australia's Flinders University.

“While this is concerning, the increase in prevalence is likely a normal seasonal increase seen in winter,” she said.

Data from health authorities in the United States and United Kingdom shows that these countries have also seen a sharp rise in the number of HMPV infections since October last year.

Is HMPV similar to Covid-19? How worried should I be?

Experts said fears of a Covid-19-type pandemic are overblown and that while pandemics are usually caused by new pathogens, this is not the case with HMPV.

HMPV is present all over the world and has been for decades. This means people around the world “have some degree of pre-existing immunity due to past exposure,” Dr Hsu said.

“Almost all children have had at least one HMPV infection by their fifth birthday, and can be expected to have multiple reinfections throughout their lives,” said Paul Paul, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia in the UK. Hunter says.

“Overall, I don't think there are any signs of a more serious global problem right now.”

Still, Dr. Hsu recommends wearing a mask in crowded places, avoiding crowds as much as possible if you're at high risk for severe illness from respiratory viral infections, practicing good hand hygiene, and getting the flu vaccine. , advises standard general precautions.

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