What is human metapneumovirus?
Human Metapneumovirus Most people probably haven’t heard of human metanneumovirus, which causes a respiratory illness that usually feels like a common cold
Some people on social media are discussing Human Metanneumovirus or HMPV. Most people probably haven’t heard of the virus, but that’s no cause for alarm. It is a respiratory illness that, to most people who get it, will feel like the common cold.
What is human metapneumovirus?
Human metanpneumovirus, discovered in 2001, is a paramyxovirus, a family of viruses that cause a wide range of common infections. Other paramyxoviruses include parainfluenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), measles, and mumps
It usually causes colds – not a big deal in most individuals,” said Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease specialist at the University of California at San Francisco.
Why are people talking about metanneuvirus?
Like other respiratory diseases, cases of human metanneumovirus are on the rise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this month reported unusual spikes in cases across the United States this spring.
Virus experts have speculated that the surge in many viruses, including RSV, could be a result of the Covid lockdown and masking. Short interactions with viruses prepare our systems to better handle virus exposure in the future. But after years of masks and social distancing in schools, children have less biological defenses to fight off multiple viruses at once.
What are the symptoms of HPMV?
The virus, which usually appears in winter and spring, usually affects the upper respiratory tract, causing nasal congestion, cough and shortness of breath, as well as fever. This usually lasts for three to seven days.
Is HPMV ever serious?
Human metanpneumovirus is usually mild, but it can have more serious consequences for young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems
In some cases, it can spread to the lower respiratory tract, causing a more serious illness such as bronchiolitis, which causes inflammation, irritation and mucus build-up in the lungs, or pneumonia. Gandhi said that depending on the severity, the virus usually lasts for three to seven days, just like other viruses.
How is HPMV spread?
According to the CDC, human metanneumovirus is spread in the same way as other viruses — through airborne particles produced by coughing or sneezing, through physical contact with a person with the virus, or by handling contaminated objects and then touching the eyes, mouth, or nose. From.
Gandhi said it is important to note that the virus can spread even among people without symptoms. In one study, asymptomatic human metanneumovirus infections accounted for at least 38 percent of infections.
But when you’re the most contagious of all infectious diseases, when you have active symptoms because you’re spreading it — you’re blowing it out of your mouth, you’re blowing it out of your nose,” He added. …
Is there a vaccine? How is HMPV treated?
There is no vaccine for human metanneumovirus, and treatment is limited to supportive care.
We try to make you feel better and make sure your breathing is okay while your body fights the virus.” For people who are having difficulty breathing, “we may put them in an intensive care unit and treat them there,” but most people make a full recovery on their own.
Gandhi said that unlike the novel coronavirus and its variants that cause Covid, the human metanupneumovirus is a respiratory virus that has been around for decades. “Hopefully, in the future, we’ll actually see progress against human metapneumovirus. But we’re living with this for a long time,” she said. “This is not what is going to cause an epidemic.”