BEIJING (AP) — The rate of human influenza-like metapneumovirus (HMPV) infections in northern China is falling, a health official said Sunday, amid international concern over a potential pandemic.
HMPV, which is in the same family as respiratory syncytial virus, causes symptoms similar to the flu or cold, including fever, cough and nasal congestion. Symptoms often go away on their own, although they can cause lower respiratory infections in children, the elderly, and those who are immunocompromised.
“Human metapneumovirus is not a new virus and has existed in humans for at least several decades,” Wang Liping, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a press briefing from the Chinese National Health Commission.
Wang added that the increase in recent years in the number of cases of the virus, first detected in the Netherlands in 2001, is due to better detection methods.
“At present, the positive case rate in the detection of human metapneumovirus is fluctuating, and the positive case rate in the northern provinces is declining, and the positive case rate in patients aged 14 and under started to go down,” she said.
Concerns have surfaced in recent days about a surge in HMPV infections in northern China after images surfaced online showing hospitals overrun by masked patients. The World Health Organization said it had not received any reports of unusual outbreaks in China or elsewhere.
Experts say HMPV is different from COVID-19 in that it has been around for decades and there is some built-in immunity. Most children are infected with the virus before the age of 5.
Wang said the respiratory diseases currently affecting the Chinese population are caused by known pathogens and no new infectious diseases have emerged.
The number of patients in fever clinics and emergency departments across the country has increased but remains generally lower compared to the same period last year, said Gao Xinqiang, deputy director of the Department of Medical Response. urgency of the health committee.
“There is no obvious shortage of medical resources,” Gao said.
Flu infections across the country are expected to gradually decline between mid-January and late January, commission spokesman Hu Qiangqiang said.
There is no vaccine or medication available against HMPV. Experts recommend taking precautions to avoid catching the virus and other respiratory illnesses, including washing your hands regularly, avoiding crowds if possible and wearing a mask in crowded places.