Health experts say that a flu-like virus currently circulating in China, HMPV, poses far less of a risk to health than the Covid-19 virus did when it emerged five years ago, since people around the world already have some immunity against it.
Reports that cases of a flu-like virus called HMPV are rising in China have sparked concern, but experts have dismissed fears that the situation is comparable to the beginnings of Covid-19 five years ago.
Here is what you need to know about HMPV:
Similar to flu
HMPV stands for “human metapneumovirus” and generally causes a mild infection of the upper respiratory tract.
It spreads via person-to-person contact or when someone touches a contaminated surface.
Common symptoms include coughing, fever and a blocked nose — very similar to many types of cold and flu.
Vulnerable groups such as young children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems may have more severe symptoms.
Public health advice for HMPV is similar to that for flu, said John Tregoning, professor in vaccine immunology at Imperial College London.
“Protecting yourself by being in well-ventilated (spaces), covering your mouth when you cough (and) washing your hands will all help,” he said.
Infected people should “rest, take on fluids (and) try not to spread it to others”.
Not like Covid
The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 was unknown when it first emerged in humans in late 2019.
That meant people had never been exposed to it and had no immunity, raising the risk of severe illness.
In contrast, HMPV has been circulating for decades and people around the world already have some protection against it.
The virus “is part of the cocktail of winter viruses that we are exposed to”, Tregoning said.
Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at Britain’s University of East Anglia, said that “almost every child will have at least one infection with HMPV by their fifth birthday”.
Many people catch the virus several times over the course of their lives, he said.
