{"id":19450,"date":"2025-01-07T04:01:04","date_gmt":"2025-01-07T05:01:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=19450"},"modified":"2025-01-07T05:25:25","modified_gmt":"2025-01-07T05:25:25","slug":"what-we-know-about-hmpv-the-virus-spreading-in-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=19450","title":{"rendered":"What We Know About HMPV, the Virus Spreading in China"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<p id=\"article-summary\" class=\"css-79rysd e1wiw3jv0\">While cases are climbing in China, the situation is very different from what it was when Covid-19 emerged five years ago, medical experts say. HMPV is common and decades old.<\/p>\n<section class=\"meteredContent css-1r7ky0e\">\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Reports of a surge in cases of a respiratory virus in China have evoked dark echoes of the start of the Covid-19 pandemic almost exactly five years ago.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But despite the surface similarities, this situation is very different, and far less worrisome, medical experts say.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Chinese cases are reported to be infections with human metapneumovirus, known to doctors as HMPV. Here is what we know so far:<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-13o6u42 eoo0vm40\" id=\"link-4a244850\">What is HMPV?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It is one of several pathogens that circulate across the world each year, causing respiratory illnesses. HMPV is common \u2014 so common that most people will be infected while they are still children and may experience several infections in their lifetimes. In countries with months of cold weather HMPV can have an annual season, much like the flu, while in places closer to the Equator it circulates at lower levels all year long.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">HMPV is similar to a virus that is better known in the United States \u2014 respiratory syncytial virus, or R.S.V. It causes symptoms much like those associated with flu and Covid, including cough, fever, nasal congestion and wheezing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"Dropzone-1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Most HMPV infections are mild, resembling bouts of the common cold. But severe cases can result in bronchitis or pneumonia, particularly among infants, older adults and immunocompromised people. Patients with pre-existing lung conditions, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or emphysema, are at higher risk of severe outcomes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In higher-income countries, the virus is rarely fatal; in lower-income countries, with weak health systems and poor surveillance, deaths are more common.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1336jj\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-171d1bw\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\">\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\">\n<hr \/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F01%2F07%2Fhealth%2Fhmpv-virus-china.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F01%2F07%2Fhealth%2Fhmpv-virus-china.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1g71tqy\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F01%2F07%2Fhealth%2Fhmpv-virus-china.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F01%2F07%2Fhealth%2Fhmpv-virus-china.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While cases are climbing in China, the situation is very different from what it was when Covid-19 emerged five years ago, medical experts say. HMPV is common and decades old.Reports of a surge in cases of a respiratory virus in China have evoked dark echoes of the start of the Covid-19 pandemic almost exactly five years ago.But despite the surface similarities, this situation is very different, and far less worrisome, medical experts say.The Chinese cases are reported to be infections with human metapneumovirus, known to doctors as HMPV. Here is what we know so far:What is HMPV?It is one of several pathogens that circulate across the world each year, causing respiratory illnesses. HMPV is common \u2014 so common that most people will be infected while they are still children and may experience several infections in their lifetimes. In countries with months of cold weather HMPV can have an annual season, much like the flu, while in places closer to the Equator it circulates at lower levels all year long.HMPV is similar to a virus that is better known in the United States \u2014 respiratory syncytial virus, or R.S.V. It causes symptoms much like those associated with flu and Covid, including cough, fever, nasal congestion and wheezing.Most HMPV infections are mild, resembling bouts of the common cold. But severe cases can result in bronchitis or pneumonia, particularly among infants, older adults and immunocompromised people. Patients with pre-existing lung conditions, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or emphysema, are at higher risk of severe outcomes.In higher-income countries, the virus is rarely fatal; in lower-income countries, with weak health systems and poor surveillance, deaths are more common.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0log into\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0subscribe\u00a0for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?\u00a0Log in.Want all of The Times?\u00a0Subscribe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19452,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19450","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19450","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19450"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19450\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19453,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19450\/revisions\/19453"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19452"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19450"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19450"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19450"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}