HMPV virus – latest: Doctors say it is vital China shares infection data as India ramps up monitoring

Human metapneumovirus, first identified in 2001 by Dutch scientists, is a common respiratory virus known to cause mild cold-like symptoms in most people. However, it can lead to severe illness in infants, the elderly, and those with underlying health conditions.

Professor Andrew Pollard, director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford, describes HMPV as one of many viruses contributing to winter pressure on healthcare systems.

“It causes respiratory illness in babies and the elderly, which can result in hospitalisation. For most other age groups, it simply causes cold-like symptoms,” he says.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are currently “monitoring” reports of increasing cases of human metapneumovirus in China’s northern provinces, according to reports.

“CDC is aware of reported increases of HMPV in China and is in regular contact with international partners and monitoring reports of increased disease,” a spokesperson for the CDC said.

“These reports are not currently a cause for concern in the U.S.,” the spokesperson added.

Jill Carr, a virologist in the College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University, Australia, said the situation is “very different to the Covid-19 pandemic”.

She told Politico: “The virus [Covid-19] was completely new in humans and arose from a spill-over from animals and spread to pandemic levels because there was no prior exposures or protective immunity in the community.”

A disease expert has urged China to share infection data amid an outbreak of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) which has spread across four countries.

Dr Sanjaya Senanayake, infectious disease expert associate professor of medicine at The Australian National University, said it was “vital” for China to share information in a “timely manner”.

“Also, we will need genomic data confirming that HMPV is the culprit, and that there aren’t any significant mutations of concern. Such genomic data will also guide vaccine development,” he told MailOnline.

Hong Kong has reported a few cases of HMPV. Neighbouring countries like Cambodia and Taiwan are keeping a close watch on the situation. Cambodia’s Communicable Disease Control Department has issued warnings about HMPV, noting its similarity to Covid-19 and influenza.

Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control has said the virus’s higher risks for children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals.

In neighbouring India, officials said there is no need for panic as HMPV is “like any other respiratory virus”.

“There has been news doing the rounds about a metapneumovirus outbreak in China. Let me be very clear on that count. Metapneumovirus is like any other respiratory virus which causes the common cold, and in the very old and the very young it could cause flu-like symptoms,” Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) official Dr Atul Goel said.

Reassuring citizens and tourists, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said: “I can assure you that the Chinese government cares about the health of Chinese citizens and foreigners coming to China”, adding that “it is safe to travel in China”.

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The Chinese government has pushed back on claims that HMPV cases were skyrocketing in the nation.

“Respiratory infections tend to peak during the winter season,” the Chinese foreign ministry said. “The diseases appear to be less severe and spread with a smaller scale compared to the previous year.”

A report in state-run Global Times quoted Li Tongzeng, an expert on respiratory and infectious diseases at Beijing You’an Hospital as saying that HMPV is “not a new virus” and that it has been detected in children in cities such as Beijing, Southwest China’s Chongqing, and South China’s Guangdong province.

The Nanjing Center for Disease Control and Prevention in East China’s Jiangsu Province advised residents to remain vigilant against potential infections in June last year, the outlet reported.

It also noted that “HMPV is currently prevalent in the US”, spreads through respiratory droplets and has an incubation period of three to five days.