An outbreak of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China is drawing worldwide attention, as images of Chinese hospitals reportedly overwhelmed by the HMP virus outbreak are circulating on social media. Several countries are closely monitoring the virus and its spread. But is there really much cause for alarm?
Firstly, HMPV isn’t a new disease like COVID-19 was, or as dangerous. The virus was first identified by a research group in the Netherlands in 2001, but had likely been spreading among human populations for decades and continues to do so in recent years.
As a common respiratory virus, HMPV causes lower and upper respiratory infections. Like the flu and the cold, it is a seasonal disease, usually occurring in the winter and early spring.
For instance, in the spring of 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a significant surge in HMPV infections.
According to Dr. John Williams, a pediatrician at the University of Pittsburgh, blood tests have shown that most children have had it before the age of 5.
The primary symptoms of HMPV infection include coughing, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath. However, the infection can, in some cases, progress to bronchitis or pneumonia, according to the CDC. Young children, older people, and those with compromised immune systems are the most susceptible.
Data shows that the virus leads to approximately 20,000 hospitalizations among children younger than 5 years each year in the United States.
“The clinical presentation is usually mild,” Dr. Eileen Schneider, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC, assured.
However, incidences of the disease may be underrepresented as the symptoms are “often clinically indistinguishable from infection with other common respiratory viruses, such as flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV),” Schneider said.
Because of the similarities, healthcare professionals might not routinely test for HMPV, or even consider it in their diagnosis.
Like most other respiratory illnesses, there is no cure or vaccine for HMPV, but an accurate diagnosis may help provide supportive medical care.
According to the CDC, HMPV most likely spreads from one infected person to another via airborne particles from coughing and sneezing, physical contact including shaking hands, and touching objects or surfaces that have the viruses on them then touching the mouth, nose, or eyes.
To avoid the spread of HMPV and other respiratory viruses, the CDC recommends washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, avoiding close contact with sick people, and not touching the eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
Those with cold-like symptoms are encouraged to cover their mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, avoid sharing cups and eating utensils with others, and stay home when they are sick.
“In addition, cleaning possible contaminated surfaces [such as doorknobs and shared toys] may potentially help stop the spread of HMPV,” the CDC said.