The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is closely monitoring reports of a spike in the disease human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China.
HMPV, discovered in 2001, is common but underdiagnosed due to its similarities to the common cold, according to the CDC.
Cases of the virus in the United States are at pre-pandemic levels and are not a cause for concern at this time, but there is a large spike in infections. North China, especially in children aged 14 and under, according to media reports in Beijing.
Chinese government officials said the reported spike coincides with seasonal illnesses and appears to be less severe than in other years.
The CDC says cases of the virus in the US are at “pre-pandemic” levels and are “not currently a cause for concern.” (CDC)
“Respiratory tract infections tend to peak during the winter season,” China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
Dr. Eileen Schneidera medical epidemiologist with the CDC’s Division of Viral Diseases, said HMPV “is associated with approximately 20,000 hospitalizations among children under 5 years of age.”
The virus may also be a cause for concern in “older adults and immunocompromised patients.”
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HMPV has symptoms similar to flu and other respiratory viruses. (iStock)
Schneider said the HMPV presentation is usually mild and can include respiratory symptoms such as coughing, fever and nasal congestion.
“The symptoms are often clinically indistinguishable from infection with other common respiratory viruses, such as influenza and respiratory syncytial virus,” she said.
An art teacher paints a poster to raise awareness against the spread of the HMPV virus in Mumbai, India, on January 6, 2025. (Indranil Aditya/Nur Photo via Getty Images)
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There is currently no vaccine or cure for the virus, the CDC said, but the infection usually improves with rest, drinking fluids and taking over-the-counter medications.
