2023-06-05 07:31:51
A recent report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States of America (CDC) revealed an increase in the number of human infections with a respiratory virus whose symptoms are similar to Corona.
And the American centers stated that this virus is called the human motor virus metapneumovirus, and its abbreviation is HMPV or MPV only.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Respiratory Virus Surveillance Systems, HMPV cases in the country spiked this spring, as hospital intensive care units filled with young children and elderly patients infected with the virus.
In mid-March, when hospitals reported peak recoveries, nearly 11% of patients tested were positive for HMPV, a number regarding 36% higher than the average, and the pre-pandemic seasonal peak was just 7%.
What is the human metapneumovirus?
HMPV is a known virus that has been around since 2001 or possibly longer. It usually causes mild cold, flu or coronavirus-like symptoms in healthy adults and children, but it has the potential to become more serious.
“The HMPV virus is similar to avian pneumonia,” said Dr. Dele Ogunsetan, Ph.D., expert in infectious diseases and professor of population health and disease prevention at the University of California.
“But it probably spread from birds to humans or vice versa more than 75 years ago, causing a lower respiratory tract infection, which is second only to RSV in terms of prevalence.”
Research shows that almost every child will be infected with HMPV by the age of five, but because immunity to the virus is incomplete, reinfection can occur during adulthood.
“Most people have never heard of HMPV but we know it’s been circulating in humans for decades,” said Brian Labus, an infectious disease expert and assistant professor in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at UNLV’s School of Public Health.
Lapus added that HMPV is a common cause of illness in the colder months but it is not something that is tested routinely, explaining that this virus circulates every winter with other cold and influenza viruses, but since we “returned to our normal life following COVID we also return to our usual patterns of disease transmission.” , according to the doctor.
Metabinovirus symptoms
HMPV usually causes cold-like symptoms, including:
– cough
– sore throat
– fever
– Runny nose
– Nasal congestion
In cases of severe disease with this virus, symptoms include:
– whistling
– Breathing difficulty
Low oxygen level in the blood
Methods of spread and treatment
“Like other common cold viruses, HMPV is spread through the air via respiratory secretions created when patients cough and sneeze,” Labus explained.
He continued, “It can also spread by touching your eyes, nose, or mouth if the virus is on your hands from touching contaminated surfaces,” noting that sometimes the patient does not show symptoms of infection.
For most people, an HMPV infection clears up on its own following a few days without any kind of treatment, but in some cases, an HMPV infection can lead to more serious respiratory illnesses.
“More serious respiratory illnesses include bronchiolitis and pneumonia, especially in infants, young children, older adults, and people with compromised immune systems,” said Mandy De Vries, therapist and director of education for the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC).
The incubation period for HMPV is estimated to be 4 to 6 days, but some studies have found RNA from the virus two weeks following the onset of symptoms.
Most people with HMPV infection get better in regarding 7 days without any kind of treatment, and of course this is good news considering there are still no FDA-approved antivirals or vaccines available to treat HMPV.
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