Cases of a flu-like virus are surging around the world following a concerning outbreak in China.
Human metapneumovirus (HMPV), a respiratory disease that causes cold and flu-like symptoms, is currently on the rise in India, Malaysia, and Kazakhstan following a spike in northern Chinese provinces this winter.
HMPV can also lead to more serious health issues such as bronchitis or pneumonia, particularly for elderly people, children, and people with compromised immune systems.
Symptoms include a cough, fever, sore throat, blocked nose, and shortness of breath, and there is currently no vaccine.
It spreads from person to person through close contact with the infected, such as through coughing, sneezing, and touching objects with the virus on them.
Sanjaya Senanayake, infectious diseases specialist at the Australian National University, warned of the “large outbreak” but reassured that there should not be concerns of a “new pandemic”.
He said: “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.”
Despite the recent rise in cases, HMPV is not a new virus like Covid-19 was, and so experts don’t predict it’ll spread in the same way.
China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said: “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.”
Senanayake added: “[HMPV] has probably been causing infections in humans for much longer but it needed the correct technology to find it.
“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.”
The UK Health Security Agency released a report confirming that cases of HMPV had increased slightly by 4.3% compared to last week, with the highest positivity in those aged under five years at 10%.
As with other respiratory infections, it’s important to stay at home when unwell, wash hands, and wear a face mask in public to reduce the risk of infection.
The winter months are when HMPV cases are most prolific alongside other similar infections such as RSV and the flu.
