Bhubaneswar: With the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reporting increased acute respiratory infections nationwide, including a rise in human metapneumovirus (hmpv) infections in December, there has been a growing concern over fears of re-run of Covid-19.

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The fears of Covid-19 re-run gained momentum as the HMPV is relatively a new virus discovered in 2001, and more so the concerns seem doubled when the fact is there are no treatment or prevention options available for hMPV.

As per Chinese health experts, there is no vaccine for HMPV or antiviral drugs to treat the disease. Moreover, symptoms of HMPV are similar to the flu, making it difficult to distinguish between the two without specific testing.

IS IT NEW TO CHINA LIKE COVID-19?

As per a China CDC report, in 2023, infections of another respiratory virus – human metapneumovirus (HMPV) – has spiked in the US during spring. 

Last year during June, the Nanjing Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in East China’s Jiangsu Province reminded residents then that they should be cautious over possible infections in June.

“It also said that HMPV is currently prevalent in the US, and is being transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets, with an incubation period of between three to five days,” said the CDC advisory in 2023.

It had also been detected in children in a number of Chinese cities such as Beijing, Southwest China’s Chongqing, and South China’s Guangdong Province in 2023.

Respiratory and infectious diseases experts in China then had outlined that HMPV is not a new virus, and has  been detected in the Netherlands, Britain, Finland, Australia, Canada, and other regions, earlier.
 
The CDC report of June 2023 stated the following.

• HMPV is currently prevalent in the US, and 
• is being transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets, 
• with an incubation period of between three to five days.

As per Nanjing CDC study,  

• HMPV was first discovered in 2001 and 
• can occur throughout the year, 
• but the outbreaks are mainly concentrated in the winter and spring months. 
• The first infection usually occurs in children under five years old, 
• with a case fatality rate of about 1 per 1,000.

WHO ARE MOST AFFECTED IN CHINA?

As per a report in China’s Daily Health, based on research of a 13-year study on nine provinces in China, 5-year-old children are the main population infected with HMPV, with the detection rate reaching 3.1 percent – which is highly concerning.

HOW SERIOUS IS HMPV? 

As per a study published in National Centre for Biotechnology Information, a study conducted in 2017 and results published in 2019 detailing a comparison between severe human metapneumovirus – associated community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and influenza virus-associated CAP, here are the excerpts of the conclusions given below.

• Human metapneumovirus accounted for 3.2% of severe CAP cases.
• Influenza virus accounted for 7.0% of severe CAP cases.
• Co-infection was more common in severe influenza virus-associated CAP patients.
• The two groups had similar overall mortality rate.
• As per Astrazeneca (maker of Covishield), approximately 123,000 hMPV-related hospitalisations among older adults in the United States each year.
• The Astrageneca report noted that unlike influenza and COVID-19, neither hMPV nor RSV have seasonal variants.
• In adults, hMPV is responsible for up to 11% of hospitalisations for acute respiratory illness, particularly in adults with underlying heart or lung disease
• So, it’s not just a common cold, the Astrazeneca report maintained.

SYMPTOMS OF HMPV
  HMPV is in the Pneumoviridae family along with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). They are knpwn as “winter Viruses”

CDC China study also showed that HMPV infections are common and seasonal, such as late winter and early spring.

HMPV can cause upper and lower respiratory diseases in people of all ages, especially for

•  young children, 
• seniors and 
• people with weakened immune systems. 
• a co-infection with HMPV may increase the risk of pneumonia in children,
• hMPV can cause potentially serious disease in older adults.

HEALTHY ADULT SYMPTOMPS

• Cough
• Runny nose
• Blocked nose
• Sore throat
• Headache
• Fever
• Fatigue

PATIENTS WITH FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS NEED ISOLATION

• Fever
• Rash
• Tiredness
• Pain
• Poor feeding
• Moderate to severe pneumonia

Because, such persisting conditions may result in severe health outcomes resulting from hMPV like

• Heart failure
• Nervous system-related symptoms such as
• Encephalitis, or
• Inflammation of the brain, and
• As a consequence need for mechanical ventilation.

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