News reports and social media posts are warning of a new outbreak of a little-known virus called human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China, but officials are yet to confirm this.
Instead, official reports from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that rates of multiple flu-like illnesses are on the rise in China, according to data up to the last week of 2024.
That data suggests that influenza is leading the outbreak, with 30.2 percent of tests coming back positive for it—an increase of 6.2 from the previous week—and 17.7 percent of people hospitalized with a severe respiratory illness testing positive for it.
However, that same dataset indicates that rates of HMPV are ahead of other flu-like diseases—such as COVID-19, rhinovirus and adenovirus—linked to 6.2 percent of positive respiratory illness tests and 5.4 percent of respiratory-illness hospitalizations in China.
How does HMPV spread?
Like other similar viruses, HMPV usually spreads from person to person through droplets from coughing and sneezing, through human contact such as hugging or kissing, and through touching surfaces and objects contaminated with the virus and then the mouth, nose or eyes.
In the U.S., HMPV circulates seasonally alongside the flu and similar diseases, and is most active in late winter and spring.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends several ways Americans can protect themselves from the virus: washing hands often with soap and water, avoid touching the face with unwashed hands and avoid close contact with sick people.
⚠️ BREAKING:
— SARS‑CoV‑2 (COVID-19) (@COVID19_disease) January 3, 2025
China’s 🇨🇳 Metapneumovirus Outbreak Continues to Surge, Hospitals Overwhelmed as Children Are Infected.
China is grappling with a human metapneumovirus (HMPV) outbreak, with children and the elderly most affected. pic.twitter.com/yok6Ot5Bag
Could This Lead to Another Pandemic?
Because HMPV is a virus that was recognized relatively recently, there is no specific treatment available for it and no available vaccine.
People with HMPV are advised to treat it like the flu and to stay at home while the body fights off infection.
Currently, there is not enough information from reliable sources on the extent and severity of a possible HMPV outbreak in China to accurately predict the risk of a pandemic.
