HMPV is no ‘mysterious China virus’ as cases surge
‘The World Health Organization said most infections are mild with symptoms similar to the common cold’
A surge of respiratory infections across northern China and parts of Asia has sparked a wave of fear and misinformation on social networks. There have even been suggestions that another Covid-19-style pandemic could be imminent.
China is reportedly dealing with a spike of a flu-like illness whose symptoms include coughing, fever, nasal congestion and wheezing, caused by human metapneumovirus or HMPV.
Health authorities in Malaysia, India, Kazakhstan and elsewhere have also recorded cases.
A video showing a hospital in China crowded with individuals suffering apparently from respiratory diseases went viral on social media, reanimating pandemic fears.
On January 5, India TV broadcast a report including the hospital video with a graphic overlay that said, “Virus outbreak sparks epidemic threat.”
Social media
The station pointed out that China was facing “a Covid-like scare again,” adding:
It has been suggested that mysterious metapneumovirus is making hundreds of people sick.
The report then cited unconfirmed social media claims that hospitals and cemeteries in China “are overwhelmed,” as well as showing a graphic model of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, hovering over a map of China.
The text accompanying that graphic stated, “New China Virus?”
Besides the televised broadcast, India TV posted that report on X, formerly known as Twitter, to its 6.2 million followers and on YouTube to its nearly 10 million subscribers.
The title accompanying those social media posts said, “Mysterious virus HMPV reported in China! Can HMPV outbreak spread to India?”
Yet India TV’s claims that HMPV is a mysterious virus, or speculation that it may have arisen out of China, are false.
HMPV is a well-known and was discovered in 2001 in the Netherlands. It belongs to the Pneumoviridae family of viruses, which includes the commonly known as RSV.
‘Mystery illness’
The World Health Organization said most HMPV cases are mild, with symptoms similar to the common cold. The WHO press office told Voice of America in a statement:
There is no ‘mystery illness’ circulating in China at this time.
With fears of a “new China virus” on the rise in India, Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda told the public on January 6 that “HMPV is not a new virus,” adding:
There is no reason to worry. We are closely monitoring the situation.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC confirmed that HMPV is most active during late winter and spring. It can “circulate simultaneously during the respiratory virus season” with RSV and influenza, commonly known as the flu.
American news outlet Nexstar reported that the CDC is monitoring reports of the uptick in HMPV cases in China, citing the agency’s spokesperson:
CDC is aware of reported increases of HMPV in China and is in regular contact with international partners and monitoring reports of increased disease.
Data from the CDC’s National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System, which monitors viral activity in the United States, showed cases of HMPV have been on the rise in the US since November 2. But they remain near “pre-pandemic” levels.
Respiratory infections
A similar pattern has emerged in China.
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported on January 2 that there has been a month-over-month increase of acute respiratory infections. They include seasonal influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and HMPV. The center told VOA:
[Such an increase is] expected for this time of year [during the Northern Hemisphere winter].
Moreover, the reported level of influenza activity in China is “less than the same period last year,” the WHO added.
The country’s state-run China Daily reported on December 27 that instances of HMPV and rhinovirus infections, the predominant cause of the common cold, have risen among toddlers aged four and children aged 14 and under.
When asked about the video of individuals suffering from the flu circulating on social media, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said:
The diseases appear to be less severe and spread on a smaller scale compared with the previous year.
Still, Dr Sanjaya Senanayake, an infectious diseases specialist at the Australian National University, told The Independent online newspaper in the United Kingdom that it is “vital” for China to share infection data on HMPV in a “timely manner.”
Raw data
Beijing has repeatedly faced accusations of refusing to share raw data on the initial coronavirus outbreak. There was criticism that China’s unwillingness to release that information hindered efforts to prevent future outbreaks.
China has denied those allegations.
On December 31, five years after the novel coronavirus was reported in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the WHO once again called on Beijing “to share data and access so we can understand the origins of Covid-19” pandemic.
William Echols is a producer at Voice of America.
This article is republished courtesy of Voice of America. Read the original article here.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy of China Factor.