Tdt | Agencies
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China is witnessing that a worried being accumulates in respiratory diseases, human metapneumovirus (HMPV) emerges as a pathogen of interest. Although no official emergency state has been declared, the country’s fitness government has implemented protocols to assume unknown pathogens since December 2024.
According to a Reuters report, the surge in respiratory infections— caused by influenza A , Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Covid-19, and now HMPV—has raised alarms. In response, China’s disease control authority recently piloted a monitoring system specifically for pneumonia of unknown origin, anticipating a seasonal spike in infections during winter and spring.
The report sheds light on an upward trend in HMPV instances in the northern provinces, especially in young people under 14 years of age. However, there is no official confirmation of these measures.
First identified in 2001, HMPV belongs to the Pneumoviridae family, closely related to the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). The virus typically causes mild upper respiratory symptoms such as cough, runny nose, and sore throat.
However, in young children, older adults, and individuals with weakened immune systems, HMPV can lead to severe complications, including pneumonia, bronchitis, and exacerbation of chronic respiratory diseases like asthma or COPD.
American diseases and prevention centers (CDC) point out that HMPV infections have an incubation era of 3 to 6 days, and symptoms can pass from light conditions without blood to severe respiratory anguish.
Is the HMPV to the COVVI-19 virus?
While HMPV and SARS-CoV-2 (the virus responsible for Covid-19) belong to other viral families, they have similarities:
Respiratory Illness: Both primarily target the respiratory system, causing mild to severe infections.
Transmission: Spread occurs through respiratory droplets and contact with contaminated surfaces.
Symptoms: Fever, cough, sore throat, whistles and breath are common.
Vulnerable Groups: Children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals are at higher risk.
Prevention: Standard measures such as hand hygiene, mask clothes and social distancing bubble transmission. However, a key difference is in the availability of vaccination.
Although there are effective vaccines for CoVID-19, there is no vaccine for HMPV lately. In addition to this, antiviral remedies are limited for HMPV, unlike Covid-19, which has remedies like Paxlovid.