Mysterious HMPV outbreak: How it’s rising among the ‘super spreaders’ among 5-year-olds…who are most at risk of serious illness

The rise of the mysterious hPMV virus in Britain is mainly affecting young children – who are among the most vulnerable to serious complications, according to official data.

The infection has raised concerns over the past week after reports emerged showing hospitals in China apparently becoming overwhelmed by an outbreak of hPMV.

Now new figures reveal intriguing details of the simultaneous rise in Britain – where the number of cases has doubled in just a month.

Virus monitoring data from the UK Health Security Agency shows that one in 10 children tested for respiratory infections in hospital were positive for human metapneumovirus (hMPV) on December 23.

This is more than double the proportion of very young children who tested positive for hMPV at the end of November.

Although hMPV usually causes a mild illness similar to the common cold, very young children, in addition to the elderly and weakened immune systems such as cancer patients, are at increased risk of serious illness.

This includes serious and potentially fatal respiratory complications such as pneumonia.

Symptoms of an hMPV infection are similar to those of a cold or flu, such as coughing, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat and fever, with those affected usually feeling sick for about five days.

hMPV spreads through tiny droplets emitted by infected people when they breathe, but to a much greater extent when they cough and sneeze.

Infection can occur when people close by inhaling these droplets or by touching contaminated surfaces, such as door handles, and then touching their face or mouth.

People with hMPV can also spread the virus even though they have no symptoms because they are still contagious before they start to feel sick.

It is for this reason that all British people are urged to practice good hand hygiene, such as washing their hands regularly and thoroughly, staying in well-ventilated areas and avoiding others if they are ill, to prevent the possible spread of hMPV reduce.

A lack of good hand hygiene, not covering the mouth when coughing or sneezing and the habit of putting objects or hands in the mouth means that young children are at greater risk of being exposed to respiratory droplets that can spread viruses such as hMPV.

Preschools where children mingle and interact can also provide fertile avenues for virus transmission, as toddlers often cough or sneeze freely while touching common objects.

Children and infants are considered more vulnerable to many respiratory infections spread by droplets, such as hMPV, because their immune systems are still developing.

In addition, because the airways and lungs of very young children are very small, viruses that hinder the way we breathe can penetrate further, increasing the risk of complications.

The Chinese outbreak of hMPV, which has led to disturbing images of crowded emergency rooms, has spread mainly among children.

Professor John Tregoning, an expert in vaccine immunology at Imperial College London, said that when hMPV infects children it is similar to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common winter bug that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms.

“It is part of the cocktail of winter viruses that we are exposed to and, like other viruses, will be transmitted through coughing, sneezing and droplets,” he said.

‘Protecting yourself by being in well-ventilated areas, covering your mouth when you cough and washing your hands will all help,’ Professor Tregoning said.

As with the advice regarding Covid and RSV, those infected should “rest, stay hydrated and try not to spread it to others,” he added.

Professor Jaya Dantas, an international health expert at Curtin University in Australia, added: ‘In young children, the elderly and people with compromised immune systems, hMPV can lead to severe cases and travel to the lower respiratory tract and lead to lead to pneumonia. ‘

However, other experts warned that the increase in cases in Britain is ‘not something that should cause unnecessary concern’ and that complications in children are rare.

Professor Jonathan Ball, a virologist at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, said: ‘hPMV has been known since 2001 and has been circulating in humans for at least 50 years – probably much longer.

‘Unfortunately it is associated with pneumonia, especially in young children, but this is fortunately rare.’

Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia, also told MailOnline: ‘Almost every child will have at least one infection with hMPV by their fifth birthday, and we can expect to have multiple reinfections throughout life.

‘It is one of the leading viral causes of respiratory infections in children under five years of age.’

Unlike Covid or the flu, there is no vaccine for hMPV.

Treatment mainly involves managing symptoms and supporting a patient while their body fights the infection.

Health officials inside Beijing have downplayed the developments as an annual winter event.

But China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention has warned that the number of flu-like illnesses is increasing.

In his latest reportFor the week to December 29, data suggested that 7.2 percent of outpatient visits to local hospitals in the northern provinces were due to a flu-like illness.

This was 12 percent more than the previous week, and higher than the level seen in the same week in every flu season since 2021.

Data for the southern part of the country suggested that 5.7 percent of outpatient visits were due to flu-like illnesses.

This was 21 percent more than the previous week, and also above the level of the same week in 2021, when the figure was 4.1 percent.

However, it was below the levels of 2022 and 2023.

Some British virus experts have called on Chinese authorities to make vital information about the hMPV outbreak public.

British authorities “need more information about the specific strain circulating” to accurately assess the threat to the British public, virus expert Dr Andrew Catchpole has warned.

“hMPV is usually detected in the winter period, but it appears that the number of serious infections in China may be higher than what we would expect in a normal year,” said Dr Catchpole, Chief Scientific Officer at infectious disease testing company hVIVO. .

‘We need more information about the specific strain circulating to understand whether these are the usual circulating strains or whether the virus causing high infection rates in China has some differences.’

He added: ‘It is unclear how high the figures are and whether any problems arise purely because of the coincidence with high flu and Covid levels.’

Promisingly, Dr. Catchpole notes that while hMPV “mutates and changes over time as new strains emerge,” it is “not a virus that is considered to have pandemic potential.”

Britain itself is currently dealing with its own tidal wave of flu as part of a ‘quademic’ of winter diseases alongside norovirus, Covid and RSV.

Surveillance programs monitoring the outbreak in England suggest flu hospital admissions have quadrupled from a month ago.

Figures show that last week alone, more than 4,500 beds were occupied every day by flu patients, 3.5 times more than in the same week last year.

Of these, 211 were in intensive care – an increase of 69 percent from the previous week.

Experts also said they expect “things will get worse before they get better” as more people have been socializing indoors over the Christmas and New Year period.