New Delhi, Jan 3 (NationPress) After five years of the Covid-19 pandemic, China is currently grappling with the new respiratory virus known as Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV).

Numerous media outlets and social media posts indicate that the virus is spreading swiftly throughout the nation. Some reports even assert that hospitals and crematoriums are being inundated.

Footage shared online depicts overcrowded hospitals, with users claiming that several viruses, including influenza A, HMPV, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Covid, are in circulation.

Reports suggest that the rise in HMPV cases has resulted in a concerning surge in unexpected fatalities, particularly affecting individuals aged 40 to 80.

One post on the social media platform X stated, “China is facing a surge in multiple viruses, including Influenza A, HMPV, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Covid-19, overwhelming hospitals and crematoriums. Children’s hospitals are particularly strained by rising pneumonia and 'white lung' cases.”

Data from the Chinese CDC, reported by China’s state broadcaster CCTV in late December, indicated that “the positive rate of HMPV in cases aged 14 and below has recently fluctuated and increased.”

What is HMPV?

Discovered in 2001, HMPV belongs to the Pneumoviridae family, along with the Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). However, serological studies have shown that it has been present in humans for over 60 years and is found worldwide.

The virus can result in both upper and lower respiratory illnesses in individuals of all ages, with young children, older adults, and those with compromised immune systems being particularly vulnerable.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), common symptoms associated with HMPV include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath.

Li Tongzeng, a chief doctor from the Department of Respiratory and Infectious Diseases at Beijing You’an Hospital, Capital Medical University, stated that HMPV can be transmitted from person to person via respiratory droplets and through contact, such as handshakes or touching contaminated surfaces, as reported by CCTV.

The virus has an incubation period of about three to five days.

Wearing masks, frequent handwashing, and boosting immunity are effective measures to help prevent the disease.

Experts also caution against the indiscriminate use of antivirals for HMPV.

In a recent interview with the state-backed National Business Daily, a respiratory expert from a Shanghai hospital warned against the blind use of antiviral medications to combat human metapneumovirus, which lacks a vaccine but presents symptoms similar to those of a cold.

In 2023, HMPV was detected in the Netherlands, Britain, Finland, Australia, Canada, the US, and China.