Getty ImagesImages of concealed patients in China have recently made rounds on social media, raising concerns about a new epidemic.
Beijing has since acknowledged a rise in cases of the influenza-like human metapneumovirus ( HMPV), particularly among children, and it attributed this to a seasonal spike.
Public heath experts have pointed out that the disease has existed for decades and that almost every child has been infected by the second day, but HMPV is not like Covid-19, contrary to what experts claim.
But, in some very young children and people with weakened immune systems, it can cause more severe illness. What you need to know is as follows.
What is HMPV and how does it spread?
HMPV is a disease that is essentially identical from virus and causes a moderate upper respiratory tract infections for the majority of people.
The disease was first discovered in the Netherlands in 2001, and it spreads through direct contact with people or by touching contaminated surfaces.
Indications for most people include coughing, fever and nasal congestion.
The very fresh, including children under two, are most susceptible to the disease, along with those with weakened immune systems, including the old and those with advanced cancers, says Hsu Li Yang, an infectious diseases doctor in Singapore.
If infected, a” small but significant percentage” among the impaired may grow more severe illness where the bronchi are affected, with breathing, breathlessness and signs of croup.
” Some may require medical attention, with a smaller fraction at risk of dying from the infection”, Dr Hsu said.
Why are scenarios rising in China?
HMPV is most active in the late winter and spring, according to experts, because it can live better in the warm and spread more quickly between people as they are more frequently kept indoors.
The latest HMPV rise coincides with low temperatures in northwestern China, which are expected to continue until March.
In fact some places in the northern hemisphere, including but not limited to China, are experiencing an increased prevalence of HMPV, said Jacqueline Stephens, an entomologist at Flinders University in Australia.
” While this is concerning, the increased occurrence is likely the regular seasonal improve seen in wintertime”, she said.
According to statistics from health authorities in the US and the UK, these nations have also seen a rise in HMPV circumstances since October of last year.
Is HMPV like Covid-19? What kind of concern should we have?
Doubts of a Covid-19 type crisis are overblown, the authorities said, noting that epidemics are usually caused by tale bacteria, which is not the case for HMPV.
HMPV is there everywhere and has been for a long time. According to Dr. Hsu, this means that people all over the world have” some amount of existing immunity due to past publicity.”
By the fifth day of a child, almost everyone will have at least one HMPV illness, and we can anticipate more infections to occur throughout career, says Paul Hunter, a clinical professor at the University of East Anglia in England.
” So overall, I don’t think there is currently any signs of a more serious global issue”.
Dr. Hsu advises common general precautions, such as using a mask in crowded areas, avoiding crowds where possible, practicing good hand hygiene, and getting the flu shot.