HMPV scare: Expected during winter, says WHO official

Amid concerns surrounding the Human metapneumovirus HMPV virus WHO official Margaret Harris said that the rise observed in the number of common respiratory infections is common during winter and spring reported news agency ANIShe further added that as per Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention the pathogens causing the disease are known onesHuman metapneumovirus hMPV is NOT a new virus First identified in 2001 it has been in the human population for a long time It is a common virus that circulates in winter and spring It usually causes respiratory symptoms similar to the common cold who pictwittercomzojxwNLgH8mdash United Nations Geneva UNGeneva January 7 2025There has indeed been a rise in the number of common respiratory infections in the country And this is entirely expected during the winter China has a sentinel surveillance system for influenzalike illness and severe respiratory infections she said reported ANIHarris said that the pathogens are known ones and can be tackled including the pathogens of Covid19According to the Chinese CDC data the pathogens causing these infections are known ones And they include the seasonal influenza virus the respiratory syncytial virus also known as RSV and of course the human metapneumovirus HMPV as well as our old friend SARSCoV2 the virus that causes COVID19 she said reported ANIThe WHO official further said that seasonal influenza is a common one that crops up for testingNow among the pathogens reported by Chinas CDC seasonal influenza is by far the most common thats coming up in all the testing And its increasing The test positivity rate for influenza at the end of December was over 30 per cent among people presenting with flulike symptoms in outpatient and emergency departments sentinel sites she said reporting ANIShe added that the cases of respiratory illnesses reported by China are within the normal rangeChinas reported levels of respiratory infections are within the normal range Its what we expect to see for the winter season Authorities report that hospital utilisation is currently actually lower than this time last year and there have been no emergency declarations Human metapneumovirus is not a new virus So its got an unusual name so theres been a lot of interest But it is not a new virus It was first identified in 2001 It has been in the human population for a long time It is a common virus that circulates in winter and spring It usually causes respiratory symptoms similar to the common cold she said reported ANIHarris said that the precautions to avoid contracting the disease are simple They are the same as those followed during COVID19So our advice to those who are in the winter season is to try to avoid getting ill in the first place try to avoid getting infected and simple measures as we know weve all been very well trained by a coronavirus by COVID19 are simple measures can prevent spread she saidWith inputs from ANI