Five years since the coronavirus pandemic started making local headlines in Wuhan, China, a respiratory virus is causing concern across the Asian country. Cases of the human metapneumovirus, known as HMPV, have been spiking across northern provinces throughout the winter, with many patients being children, but experts have assured it’s a very different situation as HMPV has been common for decades and successfully defended against the most part.
HMPV has many of the same symptoms of mild, common winter woes like cold and flu, but it can lead to much more severe complications, particularly in vulnerable groups like infants, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. It spreads through contact with respiratory droplets from infected individuals or contaminated surfaces.
The main symptoms of HMPV include a cough, fever, nasal congestion and fatigue. A few people may also develop a rash, shortness of breath or a sore throat as well, according to Cleveland Clinic.
While it’s not part of routine healthcare tests, there are swab and PCR tests that can be used to diagnose HMPV. There is no vaccine or cure for HMPV as treatment largely hinges on managing symptoms, which most people will be able to do at home.
It usually takes between three and six days for symptoms to subside, but in severe cases, it can lead to pneumonia or bronchiolitis that may require hospitalisation. The New York Times has noted that in higher-income countries, this virus is “rarely fatal”, but in countries with struggling health systems and poor surveillance, deaths from HMPV are more common.
Hospitals in affected regions of China have quickly become overburdened and clips of people wearing masks have gone semi-viral online as people compare it to the early days of Covid, sparking some widespread concern. However, unlike Covid-19, HMPV has been around for decades and as a result, medical professionals know a fair bit more about it and have best practices to follow.
It was first identified as a separate disease in 2001 by scientists in the Netherlands after a group of children fell ill but it’s suspected to have been around for much longer. Health authorities in China are implementing measures shown to help monitor and manage the spread of the pneumonia in affected regions.
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, has downplayed the outbreak as a usual winter issue and claimed it’s actually an improvement, according to The Independent: “Respiratory infections tend to peak during the winter season. The diseases appear to be less severe and spread with a smaller scale compared to the previous year.”