Health experts have issued an urgent warning over HMPV‘s hidden symptoms as the rate of cases doubled in the UK in just two weeks.
The virus, also known as the human metapneumovirus, has seen a surge of cases in Malaysia, India and Kazakhstan as well as in China. UK health officials said the percentage of positive cases in the UK was at 2.42 per cent in the week leading up to December 9.
The UK Health Security Agency said there was a slight upward trend in HMPV cases across the country with positive lab test results reaching 4.5 per cent as of January 3, although the figure is believed to be higher. The agency said on Monday that data indicated cases were following its usual seasonal pattern in the UK.
According to Public Health Scotland the disease in humans tends to be mild and moderate, although it can be severe in untreated children, the elderly and immunocompromised. The most common symptoms include:
More severe symptoms include inflammation of the airways of the lungs and inflammation and congestion in the small airways of the lungs in young children and infants as well as pneumonia. The estimated incubation period for HMPV is between three and six days.
There are other symptoms of the common cold that people should be aware of, according to the NHS. Cold symptoms typically come on gradually over two to three says and last between one to two weeks. Typical symptoms of a common cold include: Sneezing, blocked or runny nose, a sore throat, hoarse voice, cough and feeling tired or unwell. They can also include:
Dr Conall Watson, Consultant Epidemiologist at the UK Health Security Agency, told The Mirror: “HMPV is a common respiratory infection in winter, and we typically see activity reaching a peak at this time of year. Infections are usually mild, causing symptoms of a common cold. Our surveillance systems in GP surgeries and hospitals indicate that levels are in line with what we would expect to see. Most people have had hMPV by the time they are five years old and catch it again throughout their lives.
“As with all respiratory viruses, you can help reduce infections being passed on through regular handwashing and catching coughs and sneezes in tissues and throwing them away. If you have symptoms such as a high temperature, cough and feeling tired and achy, try to limit your contact with others, especially those who are vulnerable. There are many viruses in circulation at the moment, including flu – if you have symptoms of a respiratory illness and you need to go out, our advice continues to be that you should consider wearing a face mask.”
HMPV is not as dangerous as COVID-19, although in severe cases it can prove fatal in young children and the immunocompromised such as cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The virus has been described as a “common part of the winter cold causing viruses in most countries with seasonality.”
Dr Andrew Catchpole, a scientist at medical testing company hVIVO, previously said of cases in the UK: “It is not usual to be a major concern for high numbers of hospitalizations, but it is unclear just how high the numbers are or if issues are arising purely due to coinciding with high flu and Covid levels.”
He added: “Whilst hMPV does mutate and change over time with new strains emerging, it is not a virus that we consider to have pandemic potential. This is because the changes in hMPV are gradual and based on previously circulating strains.”
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