The start of 2025 wasn’t one of the most pleasant ones. After seeing pictures on the internet of hospitals being flooded with masked staff and patients in China, people feared they would have to live through 2020 again. Seasonal changes are rolling in more cases of HMPV with the new year.
HMPV stands for “human metapneumovirus,” which causes the common cold. It can make people mildly to severely sick, like COVID-19, which we all experienced. Healthcare specialists say that HMPV spreads like any other virus. It was first discovered in 2001 and has been spreading among populations for decades, though it seems to be spiking in recent weeks.
Like seasonal flu, HMPV cases are more common in winter and spring. Most cases have shown that children under five and adults with health problems are most likely to contract it.
The best way to diagnose HMPV is by the polymerase reaction (PCR) test of today, but doctors don’t recommend diagnosing HMPV as there is no treatment or vaccine for it. If a patient, however, does get diagnosed with HMPV, then doctors will usually get the patient hospitalized and are provided with extra oxygen for a fast recovery. Treatment research is still ongoing as the cases start to flood.
Dhanvitha, a seventh grader at FMS, shared her thoughts on HMPV. “I’m surprised how it took this long for another virus to come. People these days are ill in ways I cannot explain.”
She also included that she would be more prepared for HMPV than COVID-19. “Yeah, I feel like in 2020 it was the first lockdown we had as humans, so people were freaking out and they thought they would die and never see their friends. People were tired of washing their hands and sanitizing over and over again, so this time I think we will be more prepared even though it might not be that serious.”
Studies show that as people have already lived through a global pandemic, so they have built immunity against viruses that aim to create illness. As of today, HMPV is not exceedingly common and we hope it stays that way.
