hMPV infections: the world is not facing a new pandemic

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Despite reports of an increase in human metapneumovirus (hMPV) infections in China, the world is not facing a new pandemic. “We really don’t have to worry about that,” reassured Austrian vaccine expert Florian Krammer on Saturday on the Austrian Vaccination Day in Vienna.

“Human metapneumovirus is very similar to RSV (respiratory syncytial virus; note). By the age of ten, almost one hundred percent of people are seropositive (that is, they are infected and have antibodies in their blood; pay attention). The human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is not a new pandemic,” says Krammer (photo below), who conducts research at the Icahn School of Medicine in New York and at MedUni Vienna.

Pathogen causes respiratory infections
The virus causes respiratory infections that cause mild symptoms, such as a runny nose, in both children and the elderly. However, according to the expert, infections with hMPV cause between five and ten percent of hospitalizations of young children in the US.


WHO: Neither new nor particularly dangerous
Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) sought reassurance in light of reports of increasing rates of hMPV respiratory infections in China. A WHO spokeswoman in Geneva stressed that the pathogen is neither new nor particularly dangerous. No emergency has been declared in China.

The virus usually only causes normal cold symptoms. However, in some cases, HMPV can lead to more serious illnesses such as bronchitis or pneumonia. This risk mainly affects people with very weak immune systems, including the elderly and patients undergoing cancer treatment.

Source: Krone

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