HMPV virus - latest: Doctors urge China to share infection data amid outbreak - The Independent

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China, Malaysia and Kazakhstan are among the other countries that have reported cases of the virus
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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, that 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” despite increased testing.
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.”
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.
Authorities in Beijing have downplayed surge in cases, which comes five years after world was first alerted to emergence of Covid-19
The World Health Organization has not classified the increase in HMPV infections as a global health emergency, but the UN agency continues to monitor the situation closely.
Professor Jill Carr, a virologist at Flinders University, says HMPV outbreak is very different from Covid, “where the virus was completely new in humans and arose from a spillover from animals”.
“HMPV can certainly make people very sick,” she notes, “but the current situation in China with high HMPV cases is very different from the threats initially posed by SARS-CoV-2.”
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.
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.
Authorities in Beijing have downplayed surge in cases, which comes five years after world was first alerted to emergence of Covid-19
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.
Scientists say virus is neither new nor poses unusual threat to global health
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