This spike in HMPV-related illness, however, is not unusual for this time of year, and authorities are urging people not to worry that this is the first sign of a potential pandemic.
“The CDC is in regular contact with international partners and monitoring reports of increased disease,” says Belsie González, MPH, a spokesperson for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Recent reports of increased HMPV activity in China are not currently a cause for concern in the U.S., though some transmission of HMPV can be expected throughout the year in the U.S., especially during the winter respiratory virus season.”
What Is HMPV and Why Isn’t It More Well Known?
“You don’t hear about HMPV as much because we don’t often test for it, because it doesn’t send a lot of people to the hospital,” says Panagis Galiatsatos, MD, a pulmonary and critical care physician with Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore and a volunteer medical spokesperson for the American Lung Association. “We will screen for viruses that are very common to send you to the hospital. The only times I even request a screening for HMPV are in my ICU patients who are immunosuppressed, and I have to figure out what is causing lingering respiratory problems.”
HMPV Is Like a Bad Cold, With Cough as Top Symptom
“HMPV feels like a cold to most people,” says Peter Chin-Hong, MD, an infectious disease specialist and a professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine. “It resembles RSV most closely clinically, and predominantly causes only respiratory symptoms.”
- Cough
- Fever
- Congestion
- Shortness of breath
“The big one is cough,” says Dr. Galiatsatos. “I’ve never met a patient where it wasn’t the leading symptom.”
How to Treat HMPV
Unlike the flu or COVID-19, there is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for HMPV.
- Take pain or fever medications
- Use a room humidifier or take a hot shower to ease a sore throat and cough.
- Drink plenty of liquids to stay hydrated.
- Stay home and rest.
Preventing Spread and Protecting Yourself
HMPV is a highly contagious virus that spreads through respiratory droplets, close contact, or contaminated surfaces.
As with other respiratory viruses, the CDC advises taking the following precautions to help stop the transmission of illness:
- Avoid close contact with sick people.
- Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.
- Avoid touching your face (especially mouth, nose, and eyes).
- Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
- Disinfect objects and surfaces regularly (such as doorknobs, countertops, and light switches).
- Consider wearing a mask in crowded or poorly ventilated spaces.
Stay Calm and Carry On
With this in mind, Dr. Chin-Hong is urging people to take precautions against respiratory illness, but not to be overly concerned about HMPV becoming a pandemic situation like COVID-19.
“HMPV cases in the U.S. have had a predictable increase since November, but the numbers of cases pale in comparison to the ‘big three’ of influenza, RSV, and COVID,” he says. “The situation is not as worrisome as with COVID because our immune cells are experienced with this pathogen, most cases are mild, and our scientific knowledge base about HMPV is much more robust than when COVID first emerged.”
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