What is HMPV, the respiratory virus spreading across China, and should we be worried about it?
China is experiencing an outbreak of human metapneumovirus (HMPV), a respiratory illness that is making waves amid a global uptick in infections this winter.
Unlike the coronavirus that caused the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, HMPV is a known virus, with established risks and countermeasures.
However, it does pose a risk for vulnerable groups, such as babies, older people, and those with weakened immune systems. And it has some traits that can make it more difficult to track down than other viruses.
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"It’s a very important pathogen, quite hard to detect, and often doesn't show up even on the lab tests that are done in hospital," Dr Peter Openshaw, a respiratory doctor and expert on the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) from Imperial College London, told Euronews Health.
Here’s what we know – and don’t know – about HMPV, the outbreak in China, and what it means for Europe.
What is HMPV?
It’s a common respiratory virus that Dutch scientists first detected in 2001, though it was likely circulating in people long before then.
Most children are infected by HMPV at least once by the time they are five, with infections typically peaking in late winter or early spring.
"It is part of the cocktail of winter viruses that we are exposed to," John Tregoning, a vaccine immunologist at Imperial College London, said in a statement.
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How severe is the virus?
The virus causes cold or flu-like symptoms, such as a cough, runny nose, congestion, and shortness of breath, which people typically recover from within a few days. However, some infections can be severe, requiring hospitalisation.
Children and older adults are more likely to be hospitalised with HMPV, which can also cause more serious illness in people with immune system deficiencies or chronic lung conditions.
In an Italian study from the 2018-2019 winter virus season, 10 per cent to 12 per cent of patients infected with either HMPV or RSV - which is a similar virus - needed intensive care.
Where is it spreading?
Cases of HMPV have been rising in northern China, particularly among children under 14, local officials reportedly said.
Meanwhile, a combination of HMPV and the flu appears to be putting pressure on healthcare systems in densely populated regions, according to Vasso Apostolopoulos, an immunology professor at RMIT University in Australia.
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The HMPV circulating in China does not appear to have mutated into a more dangerous strain, Apostolopoulos said, but disease monitoring and infection control efforts will be important to minimise the public health risks.
"At this stage, the likelihood is that China is experiencing a bad HMPV season, in the same way that in some years we have an overwhelming flu season," Dr Sanjaya Senanayake, an infectious diseases specialist at the Australian National University, said in a statement.
Should Europeans be worried?
While Chinese officials are monitoring their outbreak, currently it doesn’t appear that there is a global risk from the virus.
However, HMPV cases are also on the rise in countries like England, which had a test positivity rate of 4.53 per cent in late December, up from 2.29 per cent a month earlier, an indicator that the virus is spreading.
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Cases of the flu, COVID-19, RSV, and the winter vomiting bug norovirus have also been increasing in Europe, in what some experts have called a "quad-demic".
"A combination of those already known viruses [appear] to be causing a global surge" in infections, Openshaw said.
What’s being done to combat HMPV?
There are no vaccines for HMPV but several are being developed, including some that could protect against both HMPV and RSV, said Dr Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford.
Meanwhile, Senanayake called for China to share its data to confirm that HMPV is causing the outbreak and help with vaccine development.
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How can I keep from getting sick?
Like other viruses, HMPV spreads through coughing and sneezing, so ventilating your home and washing your hands regularly will help you avoid getting sick.
Covering your mouth when you cough and staying home when you are sick will also help prevent the spread of the virus – and reduce the burden on healthcare systems.
"We’re all very worried," Openshaw said. "The winter surge in infections is really causing many of our health care systems to almost reach breaking point".
