Virus Causing Concern in China Is on the Decline, Official Says

UPDATE Jan 13, 2025 1:00 AM CST

The rate of human metapneumovirus infections in China is going down, according to a health official who gave an updated Sunday. "The human metapneumovirus is not a new virus, and has been with humans for at least several decades," he said, citing better detection methods as the reason for the recent increase in the number of cases seen. The World Health Organization says it has not gotten reports of unusual outbreaks of HMPV in China or anywhere else, the AP reports.

Jan 6, 2025 8:55 AM CST

It's been five years since we first started hearing about a contagion out of China called the coronavirus, and now there's word of a new virus causing concern. The Guardian reports that cases of human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, have been surging in the northern part of the country, especially among children, though Chinese health officials are downplaying talk of another pandemic. More:

• What is HMPV? Per the Cleveland Clinic, the illness is a respiratory disease that's similar to RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus. Symptoms usually mimic those of the common cold (cough, fever, runny nose, sore throat, etc.), but it can also lead to worse infections and spur bronchitis or pneumonia. Young children, the elderly, and immunocompromised people are especially at risk.

• Viral footage: The Economic Times notes that videos are circulating showing a "scary scene" in China's hospitals, with coughing patients in masks "crammed" in waiting rooms, with one social media post claiming hospitals are "overwhelmed."
• Response: A spokesperson for China's Foreign Ministry, however, didn't seem alarmed on Friday, simply noting, per the Guardian: "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." Some experts also agree that the apparent spike in cases may simply be explained by better detection techniques.
• Outside of China: Neighboring countries are keeping tabs on the illness, with Hong Kong and India already reporting multiple cases, per the Independent. Cambodia and Taiwan are also monitoring the situation.

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• The good news: HMPV has been around for decades—it was identified in the Netherlands in 2001—so there's already some level of immunity in the general population. In contrast, COVID was a disease that had never infected humans, which made it easier for it to spread and evolve into a pandemic.
• Precautions: There are no vaccines yet available for HMPV, nor any specific antiviral treatments, per Live Science. So far, health experts are offering the same advice they'd give to anyone with a cold: Stay home if you're sick (or wear a mask if you must interact with the public), wash your hands often, and practice "good cough and sneeze etiquette," an infectious diseases expert tells the Guardian.

(More HMPV stories.)