Should we fear HMPV, this virus which is spreading in China?

Five years after the appearance of Covid-19, fear of the spread of a new virus looms following the increase in infections in China due to the human metapneumovirus (HMPV). Patients out of breath, hospitals overflowing with patients… the images shared massively on social networks of people suffering from respiratory complications due to this virus raise fears of a repeat of the dark scenario of 2020, when the global state of health emergency was declared. decreed due to the coronavirus. Can the metapneumovirus become a pandemic? What do we know about it and how concerned should we be about it?

Virus “rarely fatal, except in vulnerable people”

HMPV is a respiratory virus first identified in 2001, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the primary public health agency in the United States. It can be transmitted through direct contact with infected respiratory secretions (coughs, sneezes) or contaminated surfaces. Cough, fever, nasal congestion and shortness of breath: its symptoms are quite similar to those of the flu. In some cases, it can cause pneumonia or even respiratory failure.

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According to Dr. Eid Azar, head of the infectious diseases department at Saint George University Medical Center, this virus “is rarely fatal, except in vulnerable people.” Those most at risk are children, the elderly , the immunocompromised and people with chronic illnesses, explains the infectious disease specialist, who chaired the Executive Committee for vaccination against Covid-19 under the Ministry of Health.

To combat the spread of the virus, the WHO calls for staying at home when sick, wearing a mask in crowded places, improving ventilation where possible, washing your hands regularly and get vaccinated as recommended by your doctor. “People in an at-risk group, such as the elderly or immunocompromised, should seek medical attention if they feel ill,” advises the World Health Organization (WHO).

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Why is this virus, which has existed for a long time, spreading mainly in China? “It is likely that herd immunity in China has weakened due to the long confinement imposed during Covid-19,” explains Dr. Azar.

Despite the rise in HMPV cases in China in recent weeks, the Chinese authorities have not issued an alert on this subject until now. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was quoted by The Guardianclaimed that “respiratory infections tend to peak during the winter season.”

For its part, the WHO wants to be reassuring regarding the metapneumovirus which is circulating in China. There has been “an increase in a number of common respiratory infections in the country, as would be expected during winter,” said Margaret Harris, WHO spokesperson. during a press briefing on Tuesday. Levels of respiratory infections reported in China are “within the usual range for the winter season”, the WHO continues, noting that according to Beijing, the hospital utilization rate is currently lower than last year in the same time and that no declaration of emergency was made and no action was taken.

However, American health authorities were concerned about its viral spread. The CDC said in early January it was “monitoring” the rise in cases reported in northern China, even though infection rates in the United States remain near usual “pre-pandemic” levels. According to their data, HMPV cases have indeed increased in the United States since November 2024, with 1.94% of weekly tests positive for HMPV between December 22 and 28, 2024. For comparison, 18.71% weekly tests were positive for flu and 7.10% were positive for Covid in the same week.

Quid you Liban? Nada Ghosn, head of the epidemiological surveillance program within the Ministry of Health, said to our publication “monitor the circulation of the virus by conducting tests on patients suffering from respiratory infections”, recalling that there is still “no global alert linked to HMPV”.

Should we be worried?

Is this virus, of which eight cases have also been detected in India, likely to become endemic, or even pandemic? Although there is still no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for HMPV, care being symptomatic (oxygen, hydration), Dr. Azar believes that “we should not worry”. “HMPV remains a seasonal virus for the moment and does not show pandemic potential like Covid-19,” says the doctor.

Same story with Pierre Abi Hanna, specialist in infectious diseases. “More than 90% of five-year-old children have already contracted this virus. Some people contract the virus without even knowing it,” he explains. According to him, “the majority of people are immune to HMPV, so there is no risk of it becoming a pandemic.”

Dr Eid also explains that HMPV, detected by PCR, is “less contagious and severe” than Covid-19. For him, nothing indicates that the spread of this virus requires taking “extreme measures”, as in 2020. “No recognized authority has yet indicated that this virus is mutating or that it is causing more deaths,” also notes Pierre Abi Hanna.