Reports of human metapneumovirus cases surging in northern China during the winter season have been circulating on news outlets internationally. The country had seen an increase, especially in children,

As respiratory diseases enter a peak period in winter, multiple foreign media outlets have been exaggerating reports of a surge in human metapneumovirus (HMPV) cases in China, claiming that it has overwhelmed local hospitals.

Respiratory illnesses are on the rise in Webster County and throughout Iowa. “We’re seeing an uptick in all respiratory illnesses, ranging from the common cold to COVID-19, flu, and RSV,” said Shannon Fecher,

China's Center For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday that while the rate of influenza virus in the country has shown signs of slowing, the overall cases of acute respiratory infectious diseases continued to rise.

The increase in cases of this pathogen in China resurrects old fears. Experts include it in the package of known winter viruses. China has done it again. The announcement of an increase in cases of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) has raised alarms,

The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that there are no 'unusual outbreak patterns' of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China amid the ongoing scare of the virus in India and China. Experts list precautions against respiratory illnesses.

Five years on from the first news of COVID, recent reports of an obscure respiratory virus in China may understandably raise concerns.