Some users joked that they could finally use the masks they had stockpiled during the coronavirus pandemic. Many commenters spoke of a general increase in illness, not just HMPV: “Why does the flu hurt so much? was trending on Weibo, a social media platform, on Monday.
What does the World Health Organization say?
The WHO has not expressed concern. Dr. Margaret Harris, a spokesperson for the organization, cited weekly reports from Chinese authorities showing a predictable increase in cases.
“As expected for this time of year, the Northern Hemisphere winter, there is a month-over-month increase in acute respiratory infections, including seasonal influenza, RSV and human metapneumovirus,” she said via email.
Should I be worried?
The reports from China are reminiscent of those from the confusing early days of the Covid pandemic, and the WHO is still urging China to share more information about the origin of that outbreak, five years later.
But the current situation is different in essential respects. Covid was a virus that spread to humans from animals and was previously unknown. HMPV is well studied and there is extensive screening capacity. There is broad population-level immunity to this virus worldwide; there was none, for Covid. A severe HMPV season can strain hospital capacity – particularly pediatric wards – but does not overwhelm medical centers.
“However, it is also vital that China shares its data on this outbreak in a timely manner,” said Dr Sanjaya Senanayake, an infectious disease specialist and associate professor of medicine at the Australian National University. “This includes epidemiological data on infected people. Additionally, we will need genomic data confirming that HMPV is the culprit and that there are no significant mutations of concern.
Viviane Wang contributed reporting from Beijing.
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