Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) virus in China has sparked fear of another pandemic almost five years after COVID-19.
According to CNN, respiratory infections, HMPV, after an outbreak in China, have reached other countries, including the US, UK, Singapore, and India.
Videos of the hospitals crowded by people wearing masks in China went viral on social media, spreading worries about the new pandemic, but Beijing authorities brushed off the threat, saying that the surge in the flu-like virus is a seasonal spike and it is not like COVID-19. Then a question was raised:
What is Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV)?
Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a single-stranded RNA virus of the family Pneumoviridae that can cause upper and lower respiratory diseases in people of all age groups.
Most of the people cannot distinguish it from the flu, as its common symptoms include cough, fever, and nasal congestion.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) spokesperson, Margaret Harris, in a news briefing on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, explained, “Regarding human metapneumovirus, it’s not a new virus. It was first identified in 2001. It’s been in the human population for a long time. It is a common virus that circulates in winter and spring.”
Moreover, Janet Hamilton, executive director of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists, said, “It’s respiratory virus season for a reason. We’ve gotten very accustomed to thinking about those that have been really severe, so Covid, as well as flu and RSV—but there are a host of other respiratory viruses out there that you can get sick with.”
She noted that “many times” respiratory viruses like HMPV go unnoticed because “you get better on your own” as “infections are relatively mild, and we often think about it like the common cold.”
HMPV Impacts on the World
The human metapneumovirus (HMPV) virus spreads in a similar way as any other respiratory virus, person to person via coughing and sneezing droplets. As per experts, its spread can be easily prevented by taking precautionary measures like wearing masks, staying home, and improving ventilation.
Experts are confident that it will not impact the world like the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there is no vaccine for the virus, it can be treated with the same medications and methods that are used for the flu.
