Such cases appear to be increasing in the United States, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently monitoring reports of a surge in human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China.
The CDC said it is aware of an increase in HMPV cases in northern China, following reports in Beijing-based media that confirmed a significant increase in positivity rates among children under 14. .
However, the CDC stressed that there is no cause for concern as the number of respiratory illness cases in the United States remains at “pre-pandemic” levels.
HMPV is a respiratory disease that causes cough, fever, stuffy nose, runny nose, sore throat, and shortness of breath, similar to the common cold. According to the Cleveland Clinic.
Because of its similarities to the common cold, the virus didn't receive much attention until it was discovered in 2001, but HMPV typically spikes in the winter, at the height of the flu season.
Most children are infected with HMPV by the time they reach the age of five. The CDC estimates that at least 20,000 children under 5 years of age are hospitalized with HMPV each year.
Like other respiratory infections, HMPV can be especially serious for young children, the elderly, and immunocompromised people.
The Chinese government appears to be playing down claims that HMPV infections are rapidly increasing in the country, raising fears of a pandemic like the coronavirus that hit the world in 2020.
“Respiratory infections tend to peak in winter,” China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Friday.
“Compared to previous years, the severity of the disease appears to be lower and the scale of the spread is smaller,” the office added.
Although the number of cases in the United States is low, it has been steadily increasing since November, with the CDC reporting that an estimated 13,800 people tested positive for HMPV during the week of December 28th tested positive for the respiratory illness. It was revealed that only 1.94% of the respondents responded.
This rate remains low compared to influenza infections, which accounted for 18.71% of the test positivity rate in the same week, and COVID-19 infections, which accounted for 7.10%.
Most people who get an HMPV infection feel better with a few days of rest, drinking fluids, and taking over-the-counter decongestants and painkillers.
There is currently no treatment or vaccine for the disease, but Moderna, the company that makes the COVID-19 vaccine, is working on one.
