There is a new flu-like virus on the rise in China and other parts of Asia and it is beginning to raise concern amongst those still reeling after the COVID pandemic. It’s called human metapneumovirus or HMPV and it’s a respiratory illness which affects millions of individuals every year. Veuer’s Tony Spitz has the details.
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00:00There's a flu-like virus on the rise in China and other parts of Asia,
00:03and it's beginning to raise concern amongst those still reeling after the COVID pandemic.
00:08It's called Human Metapneumovirus, or HMPV, and it's a respiratory illness,
00:13which affects millions of individuals every year. The virus enters the body through the
00:17nose, mouth, and eyes, causing symptoms ranging from a cough, fever, and nasal congestion,
00:22to wheezing, shortness of breath, and sore throat. The disease is usually not deadly,
00:26and those who can track the virus typically get better in around a week,
00:29though the recent uptick in cases has raised concerns amongst many. In particular,
00:33cases have risen amongst kids aged 14 and under in China. The spike has also prompted China's
00:39National Disease Control and Prevention Administration to initiate a program to
00:43monitor pneumonia of unknown origin. Recently, the World Health Organization said the surge
00:47in December is typical, but cases across the world are troubling. In the UK in particular,
00:524.5% of lab results were positive for the virus, nearly twice the percentage of the still
00:58prevalent COVID-19. Still, HMPV is a common seasonal illness, which is only a real concern
01:04amongst infants and the immunocompromised.