Covid, I think I can say for all of us, was… the worst. And that’s putting it lightly. We did a good job of staying hygienic, using antibacterial hand gel wherever we went, wearing masks and being generally respectful of each others’ space.
But doctors are warning about another, lesser-known virus, that comes with similar symptoms to the coronavirus – a runny nose, cough and nasal congestion.
Human metapneumovirus (hMPV), can cause deadly pneumonia, an infection that inflames the lungs and can fill the air sacs with fluid and mucus, and it was the second most common cause of respiratory infections in kids in the last 25 years.
A study looking at cases in the west of Scotland showed that hMPV can cause “severe and sometimes fatal respiratory infections in immune-compromised adult patients”, and according to a report by CNN, at its peak in mid-March of this year, positive tests were up 36% from the pre-pandemic seasonal peak of 7% test positivity.
Speaking to The Mirror, Dr John Williams, a paediatrician at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, says it’s “the most important virus you’ve never heard of” and that it’s one of the top three viruses most likely to put kids and adults into hospital and cause severe disease.
What is it caused by?
For most people, mMPV just presents as a normal cold, so they’re less likely to take actions like staying off work and following the stringent hygiene advice that comes with health issues like Covid.
And luckily, for most of us, the symptoms will go away within seven to 10 days.
It’s spread in the usual way – close contact, hugging, shaking hands, cough and sneeze droplets.
Unlike Covid-19 and the flu, though, there’s currently no vaccine for HMPV or antiviral medications to treat it. If you’re struck down with it, you’ll be treated in hospitals using normal pneumonia treatments.
And on a completely unrelated note, could someone please pass the anti-bac hand gel?