Latest News About HMPV Outbreak in China Today 7 January 2025

HMPV is a virus that will lead to a mild upper respiratory tract infection – practically indistinguishable from flu – for most people.

First identified in the Netherlands in 2001, the virus spreads through direct contact between people or when someone touches surfaces contaminated with it.

Symptoms for most people include cough, fever, and nasal congestion.

The very young, including children under two, are most vulnerable to the virus, along with those with weakened immune systems, including the elderly and those with advanced cancer, says Hsu Li Yang, an infectious diseases physician in Singapore.

If infected, a “small but significant proportion” among the immunocompromised will develop more severe disease where the lungs are affected, with wheezing, breathlessness and symptoms of croup.

“Many will require hospital care, with a smaller proportion at risk of dying from the infection,” Dr Hsu said.

See latest news about the HMPV outbreak in China:

HMPV virus cases rising across the world: Symptoms, treatment, diagnosis and everything else you should know

A Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) outbreak in China has sparked global concern, prompting countries like India to closely monitor the virus and its transmission. Malaysia has also been experiencing a notable increase in HMPV cases. On Saturday, the Indian Health Ministry held a meeting to review the growing number of cases. However, authorities maintain that there is currently no reason for alarm.

China is currently facing an outbreak of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and videos on social media purportedly show congested hospitals and overburdened healthcare systems. Health experts have raised concerns over HMPV, a respiratory virus in other parts of the region afflicting a number of Asian countries.