Rates of human metapneumovirus (HMPV), a respiratory disease that causes cold and flu-like symptoms, are surging in northern regions of China, raising concerns about the possible spread of the virus.

But experts are reassuring that an increase in cases is typical for winter seasons, when several respiratory infections such as flu, Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) usually see upward trends.

“China is experiencing a large outbreak of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) cases at the moment. Although this is a priority for China's health system, it should not lead to immediate concerns about a new pandemic,” said Sanjaya Senanayake, a specialist in infectious diseases at the Australian National University.

HMPV is not a new virus: It was discovered in the Netherlands in 2001. Symptoms of the disease, which is of the same family as RSV, include cough, fever, sore throat, nasal congestion and shortness of breath. In severe cases, the infection can progress to bronchitis or pneumonia, especially in children, older people and those with weakened immune systems. There is currently no vaccine for HMPV.

China’s Center for Disease Control Prevention said at the end of last year that hospitals were seeing an upward trend in the positive rate of HMPV in children under 4 years old, especially in its northern provinces — along with an increase in RSV and flu cases. Three cases of HMPV have also been detected in India.

The U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also reported last week that rates of HMPV “increased slightly” to 4.5 percent, with the highest positivity rates in those under 5 years old.

On the five-year anniversary of the Covid-19 pandemic, concerns are growing about the danger of the virus. But experts say that seasonal upticks of respiratory infections are to be expected.

“[HMPV] has probably been causing infections in humans for much longer but it needed the correct technology to find it,” Senanayake said. “At this stage, the likelihood is that China is experiencing a bad HMPV season, in the same way that in some years we have an overwhelming flu season.”

Jill Carr, a virologist in the College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University, Australia, said the situation is “very different to the Covid-19 pandemic, where the virus was completely new in humans and arose from a spill-over from animals and spread to pandemic levels because there was no prior exposures or protective immunity in the community.”

Public health experts are encouraging people to follow the same precautions as with other respiratory infections, including  staying home when sick, hand washing and wearing a mask in public.

Politico

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