2023-09-11 21:00:00
Fatima Khalil wrote Tuesday, September 12, 2023 12:00 AM
Human metanemovirus (HMPV) is a respiratory virus that primarily affects the respiratory system in humans. It was first identified in 2001 and is known to cause respiratory infections, especially in young children, the elderly, and individuals with weakened immune systems, according to HMPV. Times of India website.
Human metapneumovirus reportedly swept across the United States earlier this year. The virus, also referred to as HMP, causes upper and lower respiratory tract infections. Experts suggest that infants, those with compromised immune systems, and the elderly are more likely to become severely ill with this lung virus, and others should take the same level of concern as they would for the common cold.
What is HMP virus?
Human metanevirus is a respiratory virus that belongs to the Pneumoviridae family, the same group that contains respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the viruses that cause measles. It was discovered in the Netherlands in 2001 in 28 children. The clinical symptoms in the children from whom the virus was isolated were found to be similar to those caused by human respiratory syncytial virus infection, ranging from upper respiratory illness to acute bronchiolitis and pneumonia.
The researchers who identified the virus found that almost all children in the Netherlands had been exposed to HPV and that the virus had been circulating in humans for at least 50 years.
HMP cases are 36% higher than before the pandemic
Cases of this next lung virus spiked across the United States in March, according to the report. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC), 19.6% of antigen tests and 10.9% of PCR tests for HMPV were positive in early and mid-March.
These numbers are about 36% higher than they were before the pandemic.
The virus is similar to the annual influenza in the United States, and HMPV infection begins to spread in the winter and continues into the spring. The good news is that levels have decreased, according to a report from UC Davis Health released in June.
What are the symptoms?
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath as common symptoms of infection caused by the following virus.
Symptoms are most prominent in children, especially those under 5 years of age. The American Lung Association says: “Most children who become infected with hMPV are 5 years old or younger. A small number of infected children (5-16%) will develop a lower respiratory tract infection such as pneumonia.”
Methods of prevention
The HMP virus is contagious and spreads from an infected person to a healthy person through coughing and sneezing secretions, by touching or shaking hands, touching objects or surfaces that have viruses on them, and then touching the mouth, nose, or eyes.
“Currently, there is no specific antiviral therapy to treat HMPV and no vaccine to prevent HMPV,” the US CDC says. In order to prevent infection, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following:
Wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
Avoid touching their eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands
Avoid close contact with people who are sick
It suggests that infected people cover their mouths and noses when coughing and sneezing, wash their hands frequently, avoid sharing their cups and eating utensils with others, refrain from kissing others and stay home when they are sick.
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