China is facing an outbreak of human metapneumovirus (HMPV). Detected for the first time in 2001, this virus is causing concern among experts. Unlike COVID-19, there are no vaccines for HMPV.
Images of crowded hospital waiting rooms in China have been circulating on their social networks in recent days, along with warnings about the spread of a „new virus.”
While many of the posts mention "a mysterious respiratory disease," experts have said that the virus is not unknown, as reported by SBS News.
What Symptoms Does HMPV Cause
Human metapneumovirus causes an acute respiratory illness that typically has symptoms similar to a cold or the flu.
The virus was first identified in 2001, said Sanjaya Senanayake, an infectious disease specialist at the University of National Australia. "It probably caused human infections for a long time, but the right technology was needed to detect it," he said.
HMPV can cause coughing, a stuffy or runny nose with congestion, and breathing difficulties, said Jaya Dantas, a professor of international health at Curtin University.
However, the severity of the infection varies, she noted. "In young children, the elderly, and those who are immunocompromised, HMPV can lead to severe cases and can move into the lower respiratory tract and lead to pneumonia," Dantas said.
Most children are infected with HMPV at least once by the age of five, with infections usually peaking in late winter or early spring.
There are no vaccines for HMPV, but severe cases can be treated in hospitals.
Dantas said that people should take "necessary precautions," such as getting PCR tests to identify viruses, staying at home if fighting an infection, and wearing masks in public to protect the most vulnerable.
Where the Virus Spreads
Like other viruses, HMPV spreads through coughing and sneezing, so ventilating the home and regularly washing hands can help prevent illness, say specialists. They recommend home isolation in case of illness to help prevent the spread of the virus and reduce hospital overcrowding during the respiratory infection season.
In recent weeks, northern China has seen an increase in HMPV cases during the winter, especially among children, according to local authorities.
HMPV cases are also increasing in England, which recorded a test positivity rate of 4.53% at the end of December, up from 2.29% a month earlier, an indicator of the virus's spread.
Cases of flu, COVID-19, RSV, and norovirus (winter vomiting virus) have also increased in Europe.
"At this stage, it is possible that in China, experts may face a more severe HMPV season, in the same way that some years we have a worse flu season. This could be due to a combination of viral and behavioral factors, but the situation should stabilize," Senanayake said.
He added that it is vital for China to "timely share data about this outbreak," including epidemiological data about infected individuals and genomic data confirming that HMPV is to blame.
Genomic data would also help in the development of a vaccine, which is already in progress, Senanayake said.
Differences Between HMPV and COVID-19
While the spread of HMPV raises concerns, we should not fear a new pandemic breaking out, Senanayake said.
Professor Jill Carr, a virologist at Flinders University, said the situation is still not comparable to the COVID-19 pandemic. "HMPV can make people very sick, and the large number of cases poses a threat to the efficiency of hospital services, but the current situation in China, with large HMPV cases, is very different from the threats initially posed by SARS-CoV-2, which caused the COVID-19 pandemic," she explained.
Carr said that in the case of COVID-19, "the virus was completely new to humans and emerged from animal spread to pandemic levels, as there were no previous exposures or protective immunity in the community."
"The scientific community also has a certain understanding of the genetic diversity and epidemiology of HPMV" and its impact on the lungs, as well as established laboratory testing methods to detect it, Carr added.
"Again, very different from the COVID-19 pandemic, where a new lung disease was observed, there was little information at that time on how the virus could vary and spread, and we did not have initial diagnostic tests," she further explained.
T.D.