As reported by The Independent, rising HMPV cases in China, India, and beyond fuel worries, though experts downplay pandemic fears
A surge in cases of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China has prompted some alarm and led to fears of a possible worldwide outbreak.
With reports of overcrowding in Chinese hospitals, leaders in the country are attempting to control a new wave of the virus with a spike in cases in northern regions, particularly amongst children.
A surge in cases has also been reported in India, Malaysia and Kazakhstan.
HMPV is a respiratory disease that causes flu or cold-like symptoms. Most cases are mild, but infection can increase health risks – particularly for the elderly, young children and people with a low immune system – and lead to severe complications such as pneumonia.
Symptoms can include coughing, a fever, nasal congestion and fatigue, and can take three to six days to clear after infection. There is no vaccine or specific treatment, but in mild cases, it will only linger between a few days and a week.
The latest data from the UK Health & Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that there has been an uptick in cases of HMPV, rising by 4.15 percentage points between October and December last year.
The data would suggest that China’s HMPV outbreak is very unlikely to lead to a global pandemic in a similar way to Covid-19 five years ago.
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