The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is closely monitoring reports of a surge in human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China.
HMPV, discovered in 2001, is common but underdiagnosed because it resembles the common cold, according to the CDC.
Media reports say virus cases in the United States are at “pre-pandemic” levels and are not a “cause for concern” at this time, but there has been a significant spike in infections in northern China, particularly among children under 14. It is said that there is. In Beijing.
Chinese government officials said the reported spike was consistent with a seasonal disease and appeared to be less severe than previous years.
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The CDC says virus cases in the U.S. are at “pre-pandemic” levels and “not a cause for concern at this time.” (CDC)
“Respiratory infections tend to peak in winter,” China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Friday.
Dr. Eileen SchneiderA medical epidemiologist in the CDC's Division of Viral Diseases said HMPV is “associated with approximately 20,000 hospitalizations in children under 5 years of age.”
The virus may also be a cause for concern for “elderly and immunocompromised patients.”
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HMPV has symptoms similar to influenza and other respiratory viruses. (St. Petersburg)
Schneider said symptoms of HMPV are usually mild and can include respiratory symptoms such as cough, fever and nasal congestion.
“Symptoms are often clinically indistinguishable from infections with other common respiratory viruses, such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus,” she says.
An art teacher paints a poster to raise awareness about the spread of the HMPV virus in Mumbai, India, on January 6, 2025. (Indranil Aditya/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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There is currently no vaccine or treatment for the virus, but the infection usually improves with rest, hydration, and over-the-counter medications, according to the CDC.
