GENEVA: The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday offered reassurance about HMPV, a respiratory infection that is spreading in China, emphasising that the virus is neither new nor particularly dangerous, reported German news agency dpa.
A WHO spokeswoman said the agency is in contact with the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. She said the WHO had been told that various respiratory infections are circulating in China, as is typical in its winter, including ‘flu, RSV, Covid-19 and HMPV.
Chinese media began reporting in early December that cases of the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) were on the rise, raising global health concerns five years after the Covid-19 pandemic erupted in China.
But both Beijing and the WHO have been trying to allay concerns in recent days.
HMPV is attracting a lot of interest because it is not a household name, but it was discovered in 2001, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said in Geneva.
HMPV is “a common virus that circulates in winter and spring,” she added.
“China’s reported levels of respiratory infections are within the usual range for the winter season,” Harris said. “Authorities report that hospital utilisation is currently lower than this time last year, and there have been no emergency declarations or responses triggered.”
A spokeswoman for the Chinese foreign ministry said late last week that the illnesses appear to be less severe and spreading to a lesser extent compared to the previous year.
The pathogen usually causes normal cold symptoms. In some older people or those with weak immune systems, HMPV can lead to more serious illnesses like bronchitis or pneumonia. – BERNAMA-dpa
