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While incidences of Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were declining in the United States, human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infections were on the rise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to the latest CDC data, the percentage of HMPV tests that were positive increased to 17.5% for antigen testing and 9.6% for PCR tests at the end of March.
According to the data, the weekly percentage of HMPV positive tests never exceeded 7.7 percent in the four years preceding the pandemic.
HMPV, discovered in 2001, is a member of the Pneumoviridae family, along with RSV.
The expanded use of molecular diagnostic tests has boosted the identification and recognition of HMPV as an important cause of upper and lower respiratory infection, according to the CDC.
HMPV can cause upper and lower respiratory infections in persons of all ages, but it is more dangerous in young children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems.
HMPV is most active in temperate areas throughout late winter and spring, according to surveillance data from the CDC’s National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System.
According to the CDC website, symptoms often associated with HMPV include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath.
Source:IANS
