The rate of HMPV infections in northern China is declining, Chinese health official says

The speed of infections with the flu-like human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in northern China is declining, a well being official mentioned Sunday, amid some worldwide concern over a possible pandemic.

HMPV, which belongs to the identical household because the respiratory syncytial virus, causes flu or cold-like signs together with fever, cough and nasal congestion. The signs usually clear up by themselves, although they’ll trigger decrease respiratory tract infections amongst youngsters, older adults and people immunocompromised.

“The human metapneumovirus is just not a brand new virus, and has been with people for a minimum of a number of many years,” mentioned Wang Liping, a researcher on the Chinese language Heart for Illness Management and Prevention, throughout a press briefing by China’s Nationwide Well being Fee.

Wang added that the rise lately within the variety of circumstances of the virus, first detected within the Netherlands in 2001, is because of higher detection strategies.

“At current, the speed of optimistic circumstances in human metapneumovirus detection is fluctuating, and the speed of optimistic circumstances in northern provinces is declining, and the speed of optimistic circumstances amongst sufferers aged 14 and beneath has began to say no,” she mentioned.

Issues surfaced in current days over a surge in HMPV infections in northern China after pictures circulated on-line of hospitals overrun with masked sufferers. The World Well being Group mentioned it has not acquired reviews of surprising outbreaks in China or elsewhere.

Specialists say HMPV is not like COVID-19 in that it has been round for many years and there may be some built-in immunity to it. Most kids are contaminated with the virus by the age of 5.

Wang mentioned respiratory ailments presently affecting individuals in China are brought on by identified pathogens, and no new infectious ailments have emerged.

The variety of sufferers in fever clinics and emergency departments throughout the nation has been rising however remains to be usually decrease in comparison with the identical interval final yr, mentioned Gao Xinqiang, deputy director of the Division of Medical Emergency Response of the well being fee.

“There isn’t a apparent scarcity of medical assets,” Gao mentioned.

Flu infections throughout the nation are anticipated to step by step decline in mid-to-late January, mentioned fee spokesperson Hu Qiangqiang.

There are not any vaccines or medicine obtainable for HMPV. Specialists suggest precautions in opposition to catching the virus and different respiratory ailments together with washing one’s fingers commonly, avoiding crowds if attainable, and carrying a masks in crowded locations.

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