China has raised an alarm about another virus, five years after the Covid-19 pandemic, as it has now spread to other countries.
Cases of the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) involving infants – first, a three-month-old girl and an eight-month-old boy – have been confirmed in India.
The Bengaluru Baptist Hospital, in the southwest state of Karnataka, said that both children are now recovering.
As infections spread, people are having flashbacks of the nightmare that emerged from Wuhan, which later turned into a global pandemic.
So, what is HMPV? Is there a vaccine for it? What are the symptoms? Is it in the UK? This is everything you need to know.
HMPV was discovered by scientists in the Netherlands more than 20 years ago, but has likely been circulating in humans for the last 60 years.
It is a respiratory virus that causes symptoms similar to the common cold and flu. Think a cough, fever, nasal congestion and wheezing.
Severe symptoms such as bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia can occur, especially in children, the elderly and the immunocompromised.
People with pre-existing lung conditions, such as asthma, are at higher risk.
The pathogen is common – so common that most children will have been infected with HMPV by the time they are aged five.
The virus follows an annual seasonal pattern like flu and typically peaks in the winter or early spring.
Yes, but don’t be alarmed, medical experts stress.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which monitors infectious diseases, the percentage of people testing positive for the disease rose by 4.5% in the week up to January 5.
This, however, is to be expected. ‘HMPV is a common respiratory infection in winter, and we typically see activity reaching a peak at this time of year,’ said Dr Conall Watson, a consultant epidemiologist for the UKHSA.
‘Our surveillance systems in GP surgeries and hospitals indicate that levels are in line with what we would expect to see.’
HMPV spreads mainly through droplets or aerosols from coughing or sneezing, direct contact with an infected person or exposure to a contaminated surface.
In other words, pretty much the same as how you’d catch a cold or Covid.
‘Protection measures are the same that we know from Covid-19 – they include thorough hand hygiene, avoiding contact with others, and wearing a face mask,’ explained Martin Michaelis, professor of molecular medicine at the University of Kent.
‘Being cautious will protect you and others, in particular vulnerable individuals, who are at an increased risk.’
There is no vaccine or antiviral treatment for HMPV. Severe cases are treated in hospitals and focus on soothing symptoms.
But HMPV is a far cry from Covid. The virus is well-studied, we have plenty of ways to test for it and hasn’t, compared to Covid, spilt from animals to humans. The race for a vaccine also isn’t as intense as Covid; there’s broad population-level immunity to this virus globally.
Researchers are hedging their bets that a vaccine for a similar virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), could be used for HMPV.
RSV causes flu and Covid-like symptoms including cough, fever, nasal congestion and wheezing.
Scientists at the University of Oxford launched a phase 1 study to test two investigational mRNA vaccines, with one of them being for HMPV and RSV in July.
Some countries that have reported new or a rise in cases of HMPV include China, India, Malaysia and Kazakhstan.
Health officials from each country have generally stressed that these trends are an expected seasonal rise of respiratory illnesses including flu.
It’s easy to get a dark sense of déjà vu when reading news reports about HMPV. Those first few days of Covid were confusing and exhausting.
But the World Health Organization (WHO) isn’t too fussed about HMPV. And neither should you, experts say. Well, when it comes to worrying if there will be any lockdowns or toilet roll panic buying.
‘This is extremely unlikely,’ said Professor Michaelis of whether there will be another pandemic.
‘In contrast to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, HMPV has been around for decades, and there are high levels of immunity in the population.’
Dr Andrew Catchpole, chief scientific officer of hVIVO, a company specialising in human challenge trials, agreed. ‘Whilst HMPV does mutate and change over time with new strains emerging, it is not a virus that we consider to have pandemic potential,’ he said.
‘This is because the changes in HMPV are gradual and based on previously circulating strains.’
Northern provinces in China have been hit with a surge of HMPV infections in the last three weeks.
This has forced the Chinese Centre for Disease Control (CDC) to warn the public to wear masks and avoid crowds.
But claims of overwhelmed hospitals and fears of another pandemic that have been spreading on social media appear unsubstantiated.
The foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday: ‘Respiratory infections tend to peak during the winter season.
‘The diseases appear to be less severe and spread with a smaller scale compared to the previous year.’
Indian health officials struck a similarly neutral tone.
Speaking about the two HMPV cases in babies in India, Karnataka’s health minister, Dinesh Gundu Rao, said: ‘HMPV is an existing virus that has been circulating for years, and a certain percentage of people are affected by it annually,’ he said.
‘It is not a new virus. The baby [girl] in this case has no travel history and is from a local area, not linked to China, Malaysia, or any other country.’
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