HUMAN METAPNEUMOVIRUS: UNDERSTANDING A HIDDEN RESPIRATORY CHALLENGE

Swati Sahai, Sandhya S Kulkarni

Abstract


Are we prepared for another pandemic? I'm sure this was the universal
question in everyone's mind when the news of human meta pneumo
virus (HMPV) cases came in December 2024. Exactly ve years down
the line of the rst case of COVID -19 detection, a rise in HMPV cases
was reported in China, particularly among children under 14,
especially in northern regions. Social media videos of overcrowded
hospitals sparked concerns about a larger health crisis. Chinese
ofcials, from the National Health Commission, attribute the rise to
expected seasonal increases in respiratory diseases during winter. [1,2]
An off-season outbreak of HMPV was also reported in the Netherlands
following the lifting of COVID-19 lockdown measures.[3]


Keywords


human metapneumovirus, respiratory infection, pneumonia, bronchiolitis

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References


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