Beijing: Reports that cases of a flu-like virus called HMPV are increasing in China have raised concerns, but experts have dismissed fears that the situation is comparable to the onset of Covid-19 five years ago.
Here’s what you need to know about HMPV:
like the flu
HMPV stands for “human metapneumovirus” and it usually causes mild infections of the upper respiratory tract.
It spreads through person-to-person contact or when someone touches a contaminated surface.
Common symptoms include cough, fever and blocked nose – similar to many types of cold and flu.
Vulnerable groups such as young children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems may have more severe symptoms.
John Tregoning, professor of vaccine immunology at Imperial College London, said the public health advice for hMPV is similar to that for flu.
“Protecting yourself by staying in well-ventilated (spaces), covering your mouth when you cough (and) washing your hands will help,” he said.
Infected people should “rest, take fluids (and) try not to spread it to others”.
not like covid
The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 was unknown when it first emerged in humans in late 2019.
This means people have never been exposed to it and have no immunity, increasing the risk of severe disease.
In contrast, hMPV has been in circulation for decades and people around the world already have some protection against it.
The virus is “part of the cocktail of winter viruses that we’re exposed to,” Tregoning said.
Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at Britain’s University of East Anglia, said that “almost every child will have at least one infection with hMPV by their fifth birthday”.
Many people contract this virus several times during their lives, he said.
What has China said?
China’s disease control authority held a mass press conference just before the New Year to discuss its “progress and achievements.”
Among other measures, the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it was “actively monitoring pneumonia of unknown origin” as it developed its general prevention strategy.
Later, responding to a question about the “interrelationship of multiple infectious diseases” this winter, top official Kan Biao provided information on the situation of various diseases in the country.
“Influenza virus has recently shown a clear upward trend… Rhinovirus positivity rates have been seen to decline… Respiratory syncytial virus has recently shown an upward trend in people aged 0 to 4 years. The trend has shown, and a decline in the positivity rate of HMPV has been observed. An increase in cases among those aged 14 years and below has also been observed,” he said.
However, he said, “the scale and intensity of the outbreak of respiratory infectious diseases is lower than last year”.
China’s Foreign Ministry said last Friday that it was “safe to travel to China”.
‘within normal limits’
Photos of patients wearing face masks in hospital emergency rooms have circulated widely on Chinese social media in recent weeks, but such scenes are not unusual for winter.
Globally, concern has spread rapidly, with concerns pointing to Beijing’s alleged lack of transparency during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In late December, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged China to share more data on the origins of COVID-19, saying it was a “moral and scientific imperative”.
But on Tuesday, WHO tried to allay fears about HMPV.
“The reported levels of respiratory infections in China are within normal limits – this is what we would expect to see in the winter season,” spokeswoman Margaret Harris said.
