Five years on from the first news of COVID-19, recent reports of an obscure respiratory virus in China may understandably raise concerns.
Chinese authorities first issued warnings about human metapneumovirus (hMPV) in 2023, but media reports indicate cases may be increasing again during China’s winter season.
For most people, hMPV will cause symptoms similar to a cold or the flu. In rare cases, hMPV can lead to severe infections. But it isn’t likely to cause the next pandemic.
China is facing a new virus outbreak, with HMPV spreading rapidly and causing flu-like and COVID-19-like symptoms. pic.twitter.com/tkp7TQ9xCD
— Globe Eye News (@GlobeEyeNews) January 4, 2025
What is hMPV?
hMPV was first discovered in 2001 by scientists from the Netherlands in a group of children where tests for other known respiratory…