Rising HMPV cases in China are ‘what we would expect to see’ in winter, health officials say

CNN —

As China experiences a rise in respiratory infections this winter, one little-known virus has gotten a lot of attention – and some people may worry whether the rise in cases could be felt more broadly around the world.

Human metapneumovirus, also known as HMPV, can cause upper and lower respiratory disease in people of all ages, and data from the Chinese Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released last week shows that the country has seen more cases in recent weeks.

Sick senior adult elderly asia women feeling unwell coughing with sore throat.Healthcare and medicine concept

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But HMPV typically circulates in the Northern Hemisphere in winter, and China’s CDC data shows that there have also been rises in a number of other common respiratory infections, including the seasonal flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

“China’s reported levels of respiratory infections are within the normal range. It’s what we would expect to see for the winter season,” Margaret Harris, a spokesperson for the World Health Organization, said in a news briefing Tuesday.

To calm concerns, she added that hospital utilization in China is lower than at this time last year and that there have been no emergency declarations or emergency responses launched in the country in connection with these respiratory infections.

“Regarding human metapneumovirus, it’s not a new virus,” Harris said. “It was first identified in 2001. It’s been in the human population for a long time. It is a common virus that circulates in winter and spring.”

In the United States, the CDC tracks cases of HMPV in the same way it tracks the spread of other respiratory viruses.