New HMPV virus in China: symptoms, treatment, spread
3 january 2025 в 19:13
Five years after the COVID-19 outbreak turned the world upside down, a new disease is emerging in China. Recently, news about an infection known as human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, has started to appear after the beginning of 2025.
Learn more about HMPV, including its symptoms, treatment, transmission methods, and more, below.
Human metapneumovirus was first discovered in 2001, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The incubation period is estimated to be 3 to 6 days, and the duration of the illness varies among patients.
The most common symptoms associated with HMPV are nasal congestion, cough, fever, and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the United States, the virus typically spreads between winter and spring, as indicated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on their website.
The virus is transmitted through person-to-person contact if one person is infected. A person can become infected with HMPV by shaking hands or touching an infected person or by touching surfaces with the virus on them.
HMPV can lead to upper respiratory tract infections, including bronchitis or pneumonia. HMPV and COVID have similar symptoms, such as cough and nasal congestion. However, they do not belong to the same family of viruses. HMPV is caused by a germ that is part of the same group of viruses as RSV, measles, and mumps, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
COVID-19, however, belongs to the coronavirus family and was directly caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Coronaviruses are associated with some of the most common colds that circulate among people every year. This family of viruses is usually found in bats, cats, and camels. However, viruses only live in these animals; they do not infect animals.
COVID-19 also does not spread in the same way as HMPV. A person can become infected with COVID by inhaling respiratory droplets from an infected person. Droplets can spread in the air through breathing, talking, and even singing.
There is no known antiviral treatment or vaccine for HMPV. COVID-19 can be treated with antiviral medications such as Paxlovid, and a vaccine was introduced in late 2020
Learn more about HMPV, including its symptoms, treatment, transmission methods, and more, below.
Human metapneumovirus was first discovered in 2001, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The incubation period is estimated to be 3 to 6 days, and the duration of the illness varies among patients.
The most common symptoms associated with HMPV are nasal congestion, cough, fever, and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the United States, the virus typically spreads between winter and spring, as indicated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on their website.
The virus is transmitted through person-to-person contact if one person is infected. A person can become infected with HMPV by shaking hands or touching an infected person or by touching surfaces with the virus on them.
HMPV can lead to upper respiratory tract infections, including bronchitis or pneumonia. HMPV and COVID have similar symptoms, such as cough and nasal congestion. However, they do not belong to the same family of viruses. HMPV is caused by a germ that is part of the same group of viruses as RSV, measles, and mumps, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
COVID-19, however, belongs to the coronavirus family and was directly caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Coronaviruses are associated with some of the most common colds that circulate among people every year. This family of viruses is usually found in bats, cats, and camels. However, viruses only live in these animals; they do not infect animals.
COVID-19 also does not spread in the same way as HMPV. A person can become infected with COVID by inhaling respiratory droplets from an infected person. Droplets can spread in the air through breathing, talking, and even singing.
There is no known antiviral treatment or vaccine for HMPV. COVID-19 can be treated with antiviral medications such as Paxlovid, and a vaccine was introduced in late 2020
© Smirnova Olga
