HMPV virus - latest: Doctors say it is vital China shares infection data as India ramps up monitoring
China, Malaysia and Kazakhstan are among the other countries that have reported cases of the virus
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Your support makes all the difference.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”.
The virus, which causes flu or cold-like symptoms, has seen cases spiking across northern Chinese provinces this winter, particularly among children.
Photos and videos of people wearing masks in hospitals in China emerged on social media platforms and local reports compared the scenes to the initial outbreak of Covid.
India has also ramped up monitoring for cases of HMPV after it spread to the country, as well as to Malaysia and Kazakhstan.
India’s health minister JP Nadda said HMPV’s “occurrence in India is not new” and there was “no reason to worry”.
How HMPV is treated
Like most common respiratory illnesses, HMPV usually clears up on its own.
Treatment of symptoms is usually in the form of medications to control pain and fever, such as ibuprofen and paracetamol
Patients with more severe wheezing and coughing may require a temporary inhaler, according to the American Lung Association.
How long has HMPV been circulating?
The virus was first identified in 2001, but researchers believe it has been circulating in humans for at least six decades. Despite its longevity, it lacks the name recognition of influenza, Covid-19, or RSV, according to Dr Leigh Howard, an associate professor of paediatric infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
One reason for its obscurity is that it is rarely referred to by name, except in cases where individuals are hospitalised with a confirmed infection, Dr Howard told The New York Times.
“The clinical features are really difficult to distinguish from other viral illnesses, and we don’t routinely test for HMPV the way we do for Covid, flu or RSV,” Dr Howard said.
“So most infections go unrecognised and are chalked up to whatever respiratory thing is going around.”
Bali ramps up monitoring of arrivals from China and Malaysia amind HMPV outbreak
In the wake of the rise in HMPV infections in China and Malaysia, authorities in Bali have started monitoring foreign arrivals from these countries.
According to the local health authorities, nationals from China and Malaysia arriving in Bali have to fill out a health pass three days before their arrival to the island to keep a record of passengers’ health issues like body temperature, cold or flu symptoms.
How was Human metapneumovirus discovered?
Researchers in the Netherlands discovered the virus in 2001. Scientists collected 28 samples from children in the Netherlands who had unexplained respiratory illnesses.
No recognised illnesses were detected in their blood, despite the fact that a number of them had severe illnessess and required mechanical breathing.
Before being viewed under an electron microscope, the samples were grown in several cell types from dogs, chickens, and monkeys.
How to prevent HMPV transmission
HMPV (human metapneumovirus) spreads through direct contact with infected individuals or by touching contaminated surfaces, experts say.
Unlike viruses like flu, RSV, and Covid-19, there is no vaccine for HMPV, Dr Carla Garcia Carreno, director of infection prevention and control at Children’s Medical Center in Plano, Texas says. “We don’t have that advantage of priming or boosting our immune system to fight these viruses. But still, everything else that we learned for Covid can apply to metapneumovirus.”
She told CBS News: “If somebody’s sick, try to avoid crowding so they don’t expose everybody, especially the vulnerable people. If that person is sick and can not avoid going to a place where other people are, then try to use a mask, use cough and sneezing etiquette and good hand washing.”
Can HMPV virus spread to other countries?
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.
Doctor says it is vital for China to share infection data
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.
Current situation in China
China’s National Disease Control and Prevention Administration recently acknowledged an increase in respiratory infections, including HMPV.
In response, it has launched a pilot programme to track pneumonia of unknown origin, aiming to improve the identification and management of such cases.
This involves closer coordination between laboratories and health agencies and ensuring timely reporting of new cases.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday the disease was spreading at “a smaller scale compared to the previous year”.
This mirrors seasonal trends seen in other countries, including the UK, which is experiencing similar spikes in respiratory illnesses this winter.
More information needed, experts say
Dr Andrew Catchpole, chief scientific officer at London-based research organisation hVIVO, said “more information on the specific strain” of the virus was needed, but that experts did not consider it to have pandemic potential.
“HMPV is usually detected in the winter periods but it does seem that the rates of serious infection may be higher in China than what we would expect in a normal year,” he told the Evening Standard.
“We need more information on the specific strain that is circulating to start to understand if this is the usual circulating strains or if the virus causing high infection rates in China has some differences.”
Experts explain: How worried should you be about the HMPV outbreak in China?
Experts explain: How worried you should be about the HMPV outbreak in China?
Scientists say virus is neither new nor poses unusual threat to global health
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