HMPV virus – latest: EU monitoring cases amid soaring infections across China
Cases of the flu-like virus have spiked across northern Chinese provinces this winter
The European Union is monitoring cases of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) amid an outbreak of the disease in China.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said cases across Europe were not unusual for this time of year, but would continue to assess the situation.
“ECDC continues to monitor the situation in collaboration with the Chinese CDC and WHO/EURO to gather additional information,” it said.
The virus, which causes flu or cold-like symptoms, has seen cases spiking across northern Chinese provinces this winter, particularly among children.
Photos and videos of people wearing masks in hospitals in China emerged on social media platforms and local reports compared the scenes to the initial outbreak of Covid.
Meanwhile, Indonesia has started monitoring flights from China and Malaysia amid concern over rising HMPV infections across the region.
Those travelling to Bali will have to fill out a form three days before their arrival to the island providing a record of passengers’ health, according to local health authorities.
Can HMPV virus spread to other countries?
Hong Kong has reported a few cases of HMPV. Neighbouring countries like Cambodia and Taiwan are keeping a close watch on the situation. Cambodia’s Communicable Disease Control Department has issued warnings about HMPV, noting its similarity to Covid-19 and influenza.
Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control has said the virus’s higher risks for children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals.
In neighbouring India, officials said there is no need for panic as HMPV is “like any other respiratory virus”.
“There has been news doing the rounds about a metapneumovirus outbreak in China. Let me be very clear on that count. Metapneumovirus is like any other respiratory virus which causes the common cold, and in the very old and the very young it could cause flu-like symptoms,” Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) official Dr Atul Goel said.
How to prevent HMPV transmission
HMPV (human metapneumovirus) spreads through direct contact with infected individuals or by touching contaminated surfaces, experts say.
Unlike viruses like flu, RSV, and Covid-19, there is no vaccine for HMPV, Dr Carla Garcia Carreno, director of infection prevention and control at Children’s Medical Center in Plano, Texas says. “We don’t have that advantage of priming or boosting our immune system to fight these viruses. But still, everything else that we learned for Covid can apply to metapneumovirus.”
She told CBS News: “If somebody’s sick, try to avoid crowding so they don’t expose everybody, especially the vulnerable people. If that person is sick and can not avoid going to a place where other people are, then try to use a mask, use cough and sneezing etiquette and good hand washing.”
How was Human metapneumovirus discovered?
Researchers in the Netherlands discovered the virus in 2001. Scientists collected 28 samples from children in the Netherlands who had unexplained respiratory illnesses.
No recognised illnesses were detected in their blood, despite the fact that a number of them had severe illnessess and required mechanical breathing.
Before being viewed under an electron microscope, the samples were grown in several cell types from dogs, chickens, and monkeys.
Bali ramps up monitoring of arrivals from China and Malaysia amind HMPV outbreak
In the wake of the rise in HMPV infections in China and Malaysia, authorities in Bali have started monitoring foreign arrivals from these countries.
According to the local health authorities, nationals from China and Malaysia arriving in Bali have to fill out a health pass three days before their arrival to the island to keep a record of passengers’ health issues like body temperature, cold or flu symptoms.
How long has HMPV been circulating?
The virus was first identified in 2001, but researchers believe it has been circulating in humans for at least six decades. Despite its longevity, it lacks the name recognition of influenza, Covid-19, or RSV, according to Dr Leigh Howard, an associate professor of paediatric infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
One reason for its obscurity is that it is rarely referred to by name, except in cases where individuals are hospitalised with a confirmed infection, Dr Howard told The New York Times.
“The clinical features are really difficult to distinguish from other viral illnesses, and we don’t routinely test for HMPV the way we do for Covid, flu or RSV,” Dr Howard said.
“So most infections go unrecognised and are chalked up to whatever respiratory thing is going around.”
How HMPV is treated
Like most common respiratory illnesses, HMPV usually clears up on its own.
Treatment of symptoms is usually in the form of medications to control pain and fever, such as ibuprofen and paracetamol
Patients with more severe wheezing and coughing may require a temporary inhaler, according to the American Lung Association.
Singapore experienced spike in HMPV cases at end of 2024
Singapore experienced a rise in human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infections at the end of 2024, the ministry of health said, but added that it was consistent with previous year-end trends due to increased social gatherings and holiday travel.
China, India, and Malaysia have also reported spikes in HMPV cases and Bali authorities have ramped up monitoring of Chinese and Malaysian nationals arriving in the city.
Singapore’s ministry of health has advised practising good hygiene, coughing and sneezing etiquette and hand washing practices to mitigate the spread.
Nepal to step up testing for HMPV
Nepal plans to test respiratory illness patients for HMPV to assess its spread this winter, The Kathmandu Post reported.
While the virus has been detected in the country in the past, officials aim to confirm its presence by testing those with influenza-like symptoms who test negative for influenza.
“Although infection of human metapneumovirus is not new to our country and has been detected several times in the past, we have decided to carry out testing on specimens from patients suffering from influenza-like symptoms who test negative for influenza virus,” Dr Yadu Chandra Ghimire, director of the epidemiology and disease control division.
Dr Ghimire advised against panic, saying: “This virus has been circulating in our communities for years. We usually don’t test unless there is a spike in new cases. We have decided to carry out testing, as the rise in infections in our neighbours have become headline news”.
What is really behind the mystery new virus gripping China and the world
What is really behind the mystery new virus gripping China and the world
What is HMPV? China steps up monitoring amid new virus outbreak
China is experiencing a surge in infections of a respiratory virus, leading to reports of overcrowded hospitals, new monitoring measures and public concerns about an outbreak.
The virus, identified as human metapneumovirus (HMPV), has seen cases spiking across northern Chinese provinces this winter, particularly among children.
The outbreak comes five years after the world was first alerted to the emergence of a novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China, which later turned into a global pandemic with seven million deaths reported.
Photos and videos of people wearing masks in hospitals in China emerged on social media platforms and local reports compared the scenes to the initial outbreak of Covid.
Health authorities are implementing new measures to monitor and manage the spread of pneumonia cases of unknown origin. Nonetheless, Beijing has downplayed the developments as an annual winter occurrence.
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