What is HMPV and should we be worried? The virus outbreak surging across China
China has raised an alarm about another virus, five years after the Covid-19 pandemic, as it has now spread to other countries.
Cases of the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) involving infants – first, a three-month-old girl and later, an eight-month-old boy – have now been confirmed in India.
The Bengaluru Baptist Hospital, in the southwest state of Karnataka, said that both children are now recovering.
As infections spread, people are having flashbacks of the nightmare that emerged from Wuhan, which later turned into a global pandemic.
So, what is HMPV? Is there a vaccine for it? What are the symptoms? This is everything you need to know.
What is the human metapneumovirus (HMPV)?
HMPV was discovered by scientists in the Netherlands more than 20 years ago.
It is a respiratory virus that causes symptoms similar to the common cold and flu, including cough, fever, nasal congestion and wheezing.
Severe symptoms such as bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia can occur, especially in children, the elderly and the immunocompromised individuals.
People with pre-existing lung conditions, such as asthma, are of higher risk.
Most children will have been infected with HMPV by the time they are aged five.
The virus follows an annual seasonal pattern like flu, and typically peaks in the winter or early spring.
Is there a vaccine for HMPV and how worried should we be?
There is no vaccine or treatment for HMPV, but severe cases are treated in hospital.
Scientists at the University of Oxford launched a phase 1 study to test two investigational mRNA vaccines, with one of them being for HMPV and RSV (a common cause of coughs and colds), in July.
Dr Simon Drysdale, consultant in Paediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunology at the Oxford Vaccine Group, said : ‘RSV and hMPV are two of the leading causes of respiratory infections in children, the elderly and immunocompromised patients worldwide.
‘This trial is an important early step in the development of a paediatric vaccine against RSV and hMPV.’
Speaking about the two HMPV cases in babies in India, Karnataka’s health minister, Dinesh Gundu Rao, stressed that the cases are not ‘the first of their kind’ as some reports have suggested.
‘HMPV is an existing virus that has been circulating for years, and a certain percentage of people are affected by it annually,’ he said.
‘It is not a new virus. The baby {girl] in this case has no travel history and is from a local area, not linked to China, Malaysia, or any other country.’
What has China said about the rise of HMPV cases?
Northern provinces in China have been hit with a surge of HMPV infections in the last three weeks.
This has forced the centre for disease control (CDC) to warn the public to wear masks and avoid crowds.
But claims of overwhelmed hospitals and fears of another pandemic that have been spreading on social media appear unsubstantiated.
The foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday: ‘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.’
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