Public health experts have spoken out about the idea that the HMPV virus that causes human pneumonia is spreading rapidly with symptoms similar to influenza and Covid-19.
According to a report from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in week 52 of 2024, respiratory diseases such as influenza virus, HMPV and RSV are on the rise due to winter weather conditions.
However, the number of cases of respiratory infections with flu-like symptoms is currently lower than in the same period in 2023.
Notably, HMPV is considered to spread rapidly, with symptoms similar to those of influenza and Covid-19, causing some opinions to express concern about the possibility of a new pandemic. Most recently, India also announced the discovery of 3 cases of HMPV infection, all of which were young children.
Associate Professor Do Van Dung, former Dean of the Faculty of Public Health, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City, said that HMPV and SARS-CoV-2 (causing Covid-19) are both single-stranded RNA viruses. However, HMPV is a negative monostrand while SARS-CoV-2 is a positive monostrand, so they belong to two different biological phyla.
Positive-strand viruses have the ability to use their own RNA to synthesize viral structures immediately after entering cells, so they can replicate rapidly. Negative-strand viruses, on the other hand, need to be translated into positive-strand viruses in order to synthesize proteins.
In terms of epidemiological characteristics, the basic replication rate of HMPV is 2, while that of SARS-CoV-2 can be up to 5 or higher for the Delta variant.
Therefore, HMPV has a more limited spread, often occurring in late winter, while SARS-CoV-2 can occur in any season with a rapid spread that creates a pandemic.
HMPV usually causes mild fever and respiratory symptoms such as runny nose, sore throat, cough, and wheezing. Meanwhile, Covid-19 causes more severe symptoms, such as high fever, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and respiratory symptoms such as cough that can progress to respiratory failure and death.
From the above reasons, Mr. Dung affirmed that HMPV is significantly less dangerous than Covid 19. HMPV is only of concern when it occurs in young patients, the elderly or people with underlying diseases.
According to public health experts, the HMPV virus is not a new virus and has been found circulating in many areas, including North America, Europe, Australia, India, and Pakistan, in addition to China.
However, as mentioned, HMPV is unlikely to cause serious illness, and prevention of this virus is similar to that for other respiratory illnesses such as colds and flu.
These include washing your hands frequently, especially with soap or sanitizer, avoiding touching your face, keeping your rooms and homes well-ventilated, avoiding crowded places, wearing a mask, and not standing too close to other people.
If you have respiratory symptoms, you (especially the elderly, people with underlying medical conditions or children) should stay home and seek medical attention if you are at risk of serious illness.
Therefore, people do not need to worry too much if the disease appears or circulates in Vietnam.
HMPV is not a new virus.
On 7/1, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health said that HMPV is not a new virus, it is one of the causes of respiratory infections in children in the years 2023 and 2024 in the locality.
According to the community-acquired pneumonia research program, viral and bacterial pathogens are still common.
Research collaborators include the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU), Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Khanh Hoa Provincial General Hospital, Nha Trang Pasteur Institute and the National Centre for Infectious Diseases of Singapore (under the PREPARE project).
Specifically, the test results of 103 patients with community-acquired pneumonia (including 56 children and 47 adults) hospitalized from July to December 7 at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City showed that HMPV accounted for a small proportion (12% in children) compared to other agents causing community-acquired pneumonia.
In addition, during the outbreak of respiratory infections in children in late 2023 in Ho Chi Minh City, surveillance results also recorded a diversity of common viral agents. The HMPV agent was also detected at a rate of 15%.
