Chinese doctors have recorded a sharp increase in metapneumovirus (hMPV) infections in the country, national medical authorities said. The increase in disease incidence is particularly strong among… children under 14 years of age and noticeable mainly in the north – reported the British website of the Independent daily.
There have been reports of overwhelmed hospitals, and videos posted on social media show reminiscent scenes the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic – the portal noticed. However, Beijing downplays these reports, indicating that this is a typical winter situation.
Symptoms of infection are: high fever, cough and sore throat. In some cases, the disease may progress to bronchitis or pneumonia.
The virus is spreading in China. Neighboring countries are monitoring the situation
Countries neighboring China are monitoring the situation closely – noted the Indian portal Ndtv. Hong Kong has reported several cases of hMPV, and in India, health authorities have said there has been no increase in respiratory diseases.
In Iran, medical authorities assured that there is no reason to worry and noted that the World Health Organization (WHO) did not consider the increase in infections as requiring special treatment – said the website of the Tehran Times newspaper.
Information about diseases caused by the hMPV virus appeared five years after the world first learned about the occurrence of a new virus in the Chinese city of Wuhan. the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
Metapneumowirus (hMPV, human metapneumovirus) is a virus belonging to the Paramyxoviridae family that causes respiratory infections in humans. It was first described in 2001.
This virus is closely related to the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes similar symptoms of infection. Most often it attacks small children, elderly people and people with weakened immune systems.