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Five years ago, a virus outbreak from Wuhan, China, brought the world to a standstill, with hospitals overwhelmed with acute respiratory infections. Now, recent news about the detection of Human Metapneumonia Virus (HMPV), especially among the elderly and children population, raises concern about another possible pandemic.
Illustration by The Geostrata
However, the sharp rise in acute respiratory infections due to the virus is probably nothing to worry about. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) reported that the rising trend of HMPV cases is not very alarming and that there are no updates about the unusual outbreak.
WHAT IS THE HMPV VIRUS?
Respiratory illnesses and infections usually observe a rising trend during colder climatic conditions. Many countries have routine monitoring and surveillance of acute and chronic respiratory infections.
Some of the common infections are caused due to pathogens such as seasonal influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and other common respiratory viruses. HMPV is one of the common viruses, first identified in Norway back in 2001.
The symptoms of the infection are virtually indistinguishable from those of influenza, including cough, cold, shortness of breath, and fever. It belongs to the same Pneumovirudae family as RSV and is a major cause of upper and lower respiratory tract infections. HMPV usually spreads from one infected person to another through: secretions from coughing and sneezing, close person contact such as touching or shaking hands, touching objects or surfaces that have the viruses on them then touching eyes, mouths or nose.
Most cases are mild, with children, elderly and those with weakened immunity systems at a higher risk of infection. In higher-income countries, with preventive and supportive care, cases are not usually fatal. However, in lower-income countries, due to inadequate infrastructure and weak healthcare systems, deaths due to comorbid conditions are more common.
WHAT IS THE CURRENT UPDATE?
Recently, the viral infection came to the limelight after reports of Chinese hospitals getting overwhelmed with an increase in patients. In December 2024, the Chinese healthcare and disease control authority announced that it is piloting a monitoring system, especially for the detection of pneumonia of unknown origins, as the cases of respiratory infections are on the rise in winter.
This move is likely inspired to elevate preparedness against any outbreak or pandemic and help the authorities set up protocols to deal with unknown pathogens.
Latest data from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control indicate an upward trend in infection, with children younger than 14 years old at higher risk, reported Kan Biao, the director of the Centre’s Institute for Infectious Diseases at a national conference on December 27. The government has also cautioned against unnecessary use of antiviral drugs for HMPV, for which there is no vaccine or cure yet.
However, the HMPV virus differs from the COVID-19 viral outbreaks in several key respects:
Firstly, the SARS-COV-2 virus was transmitted from animals to humans (zootonic), and it was a novel pathogen with little research conducted about its effects. HMPV on the other hand, is a well-known pathogen and widely studied.
Secondly, while testing facilities for SARS-COV-2 were limited, there are widespread facilities available for the detection and treatment of HMPV cases.
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Thirdly, since COVID-19 was due to a novel pathogen, people were highly susceptible to it. On the other hand, there is broad population-level immunity already to HMPV globally. A severe outbreak of HMPV can strain healthcare systems, especially pediatric wards, but does not overwhelm hospitals or centres.
China however needs to update the epidemiological reports regarding the virus promptly, and confirm through genomic data that HMPV is the main cause for the upsurge in infection cases, and that there aren’t any significant mutations.
SHOULD INDIA BE CONCERNED?
On 7th January, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in its press release reiterated that the HMPV viral outbreak is not a major cause of concern, and it is currently reviewing the present situation of respiratory illnesses in the country, along with the public health measures against it.
It also clarified that “HMPV is already in circulation globally, including in India, and cases of respiratory illnesses associated with HMPV have been reported in various countries.”
It also added that there is no history of associated travel between the two nations in the detected cases, indicating that these infections have no relation with the reported surge of cases in China.
Since then, 8 cases have been detected so far across several regions of India, with the youngest case being that of a three-month-old infant in Karnataka. Medical bodies such as the Indian Council of Medical Research(ICMR) through its surveillance network, routinely monitor and maintain data on various Influenza-like Infections (ILIs) such as HMPV, RSV etc across the nation. Routine precautions of wearing a mask and maintaining hygiene will suffice for now, as the cases are generally mild and self-limiting in nature.
BY BAISHALI
TEAM GEOSTRATA
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