A virus that sparked pandemic fears in China has risen in the US this month, official data shows – and parts of the Midwest have become hotspots.
The CDC reports that 2.2 percent of tests conducted across America in the week ending January 4 were positive for the human metapneumovirus (hMPV).
That represented an increase of 25 percent compared to the previous week (1.77 percent) and means around one in 50 Americans with a cough likely had the virus.
HMPV, which some doctors describe as ‘the most important virus you’ve never heard of’, gained worldwide attention after being linked to a viral outbreak in China this month.
Footage of overcrowded waiting rooms and wards posted on Chinese social media were similar to the scenes coming out of China at the start of the Covid pandemic.
But the US numbers are not unusual for this time of year and doctors have reassured the public that hMPV is mild for most.
Flu, by comparison, came up in nearly 20 percent of tests carried out across the US in the seven days to January 4.
The CDC data shows that hMPV infections are more than twice the national average in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. In total 5.83 percent of tests were positive in the region, up from 4.14 the previous week.
ON THE UP: The CDC reports that 2.2 percent of tests conducted across America in the week ending January 4 were positive for hMPV, up 25 percent in a week
DEATHLY ILL: Diane Davison, 60, an entertainment lawyer from Maryland, was hit by hMPV and was left ‘unable to speak’ due to ‘violent’ coughing fits
HMPV is much milder than the initial Covid strain was and there is already population immunity against it because it has been around for decades.
In the vast majority of cases, hMPV’s main symptoms are very similar to a common cold: coughing, blocked or runny nose, sore throat and slight fever.
As with other viruses, these are caused by the body’s immune system trying to fight it off.
However, some may also experience nausea and vomiting. Symptoms typically clear after around five days.
More severe symptoms such as bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia, which usually affect those with compromised immune systems, like Diane Davison, 60, a lawyer from Maryland, who was left ‘unable to speak’ due to ‘violent’ coughing fits.
For the vulnerable, the virus can cause a shortness of breath, severe cough or wheezing.
The US data came as Beijing claimed its rate of infections with HMPV in northern China was declining.
Wang Liping, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a press conference on Sunday: ‘At present, the rate of positive cases in human metapneumovirus detection is fluctuating, the rate of positive cases in northern provinces is declining, and the rate of positive cases among patients aged 14 and below has started to decline,’ she said.
The number of patients in fever clinics and emergency departments across the country has been rising but is still generally lower compared to the same period last year, said Gao Xinqiang, deputy director of the Department of Medical Emergency Response of the health commission.
MIDWEST SURGE: Region 7, which covers Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, is seeing sky-high rates of HMPV compared to the rest of the country
This map shows how the CDC breaks down different regions of the US for its weekly breakdown of respiratory infections
‘There is no obvious shortage of medical resources,’ Gao said.
Flu infections across the country are expected to gradually decline in mid-to-late January, said commission spokesperson Hu Qiangqiang.
There are no vaccines or drugs available for hMPV. Experts recommend precautions against catching the virus and other respiratory diseases including washing one’s hands regularly, avoiding crowds if possible, and wearing a mask in crowded places.
Around 20,000 children under five in the US are hospitalized with HMPV every year and a few hundred of those die from the illness.
For comparison, over 1million Americans have visited the emergency room for RSV, and nearly 10million have been struck with influenza since October.
Similar to Covid, hMPV spreads through respiratory droplets that circulate in the air when a person coughs or sneezes.
Close personal contact like shaking hands and touching contaminated surfaces can also spread the disease.
