Human metapneumovirus is causing a wave of respiratory infections in China. Human metapneumovirus is very similar to Covid or the common cold: it is not a highly complex viral disease, but it can lead to complications such as pneumonia.
Transmits to UNN with reference to livemint, The Guardian and SIC Notícias.
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China is experiencing a surge in human metapneumovirus cases, especially among children. The outbreak has led to overcrowding in Chinese hospitals.
What is an hMPV
Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) was discovered in 2001.
In the United States, it causes about 20,000 hospitalizations every year for children under the age of five.
hMPV is one of the four most common viral infections among patients in China. The incidence rate is currently increasing among young people, especially in the under-14 age group.
“hMPV is of particular concern in the first year of life. This also applies to respiratory syncytial virus and influenza,” Andrew Easton, Professor of Virology at the University of Warwick, UK, explains to Live Science.
Symptoms
Human metapneumovirus is from the same family as respiratory syncytial virus. Experts note that hMPV causes symptoms such as cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath, which are similar in duration to those of other respiratory infections.
Risks
It is important to understand that in more serious cases, it can develop into bronchitis or pneumonia.
Andrew Easton, a professor of virology, explains that the risk of human metapneumovirus has not really “changed in the last 25 years.” However, the expert emphasizes that changes in the incidence or nature of the infection should be “worrying”.
China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention warned in early December of an increase in the number of respiratory infections in the country's hospitals. But the risk of a new Covid-like pandemic is low, experts say.
Problem
“The problem is that there is not much we can do at the moment other than inform people that it exists to reduce transmission. There is no vaccine or antiviral medication, although some vaccines are in development,” said Professor Paul Griffin, director of infectious diseases at Mater Health Services in Brisbane.
According to experts, hMPV is not similar to Covid-19, as it has been around for several decades, and the world's population has a certain level of immunity from past infections.
It is important to understand that Covid-19 is a new disease that has never infected humans before, which has led to a pandemic-level spread.
“I don't think we necessarily have to be concerned about a pandemic of this virus, but the spike in incidence and the impact it's having is significant. ”, Griffin said.
A good lesson can be learned from the pandemic to reduce its spread, especially since we do not have vaccines or antiviral drugs against hMPV