Experts say the respiratory virus outbreak in China is not a new virus and should not be cause for concern.
China is experiencing an outbreak of the human metapneumovirus (HMPV), which has been in existence for more than 40 years, according to experts.
TimesLIVE reported that viral videos of patients with surgical masks, some visibly sick, had surfaced online with reports that hospitals were overwhelmed with flu and HMPV cases and that Chinese and World Health Organisation officials were yet to confirm the details.
“It’s a well-known virus, discovered about 25 years ago, and causes illness, especially in children. Occasionally it causes mini outbreaks,” said Prof Shabir Madhi, a dean of the faculty of health sciences and professor of vaccinology at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Prof Tulio de Oliveira from Stellenbosch University said HMPV is closely associated with other viruses like the common cold, flu, Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
He said it tends to be mild and more severe usually only in children or elderly people and people whose immune is compromised.
“Generally is a very mild virus like nothing much different from a cold,” he said.
He added that these viruses have some similarities with Covid-19, and are respiratory transmitted and can be easily transmitted. They develop if the person gets sick — though it is rare that they will develop similar symptoms like a cough, fever and temperature — and if one gets serious pneumonia.
De Oliveira said in general, it is a respiratory pathogen that is similarly transmitted but much more mild than the initial phase of Covid-19.
“One important thing is that, unfortunately, that is getting more normal, like in the UK it is now getting more normal during respiratory waves that occur during winter months when you have multiple virus transmissions.
“It is getting quite normal that now you have multiple viruses circulating in our winter waves,” he said.
He added that in South Africa they expect the waves of infection of RSV to start in about the first week of February as happened last year and associated transmission in younger children as they return to school.
“We expect our waves of influenza or the winter respiratory virus to start at the beginning of winter. We do not have anything to be concerned about at the moment in South Africa.
“But what is HMVP? It is not another [new] respiratory virus, it is an old virus — it has been known to exist at least since the late 1980s,” he said.
He added it is a respiratory virus that normally causes a common cold, less severe than the flu, but in the very young and the very old can cause flu-like symptoms.
“What kind of symptoms are we are talking about with the HMVP? We are talking about the normal cold symptoms, flu symptoms of coughing, fever and shortness of breath,” he said.
TimesLIVE
China virus outbreak: experts say it's not a new virus and is similar to a cold or flu
Image: Emile Bosch
Experts say the respiratory virus outbreak in China is not a new virus and should not be cause for concern.
China is experiencing an outbreak of the human metapneumovirus (HMPV), which has been in existence for more than 40 years, according to experts.
TimesLIVE reported that viral videos of patients with surgical masks, some visibly sick, had surfaced online with reports that hospitals were overwhelmed with flu and HMPV cases and that Chinese and World Health Organisation officials were yet to confirm the details.
“It’s a well-known virus, discovered about 25 years ago, and causes illness, especially in children. Occasionally it causes mini outbreaks,” said Prof Shabir Madhi, a dean of the faculty of health sciences and professor of vaccinology at the University of the Witwatersrand.
Prof Tulio de Oliveira from Stellenbosch University said HMPV is closely associated with other viruses like the common cold, flu, Covid-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
He said it tends to be mild and more severe usually only in children or elderly people and people whose immune is compromised.
“Generally is a very mild virus like nothing much different from a cold,” he said.
He added that these viruses have some similarities with Covid-19, and are respiratory transmitted and can be easily transmitted. They develop if the person gets sick — though it is rare that they will develop similar symptoms like a cough, fever and temperature — and if one gets serious pneumonia.
De Oliveira said in general, it is a respiratory pathogen that is similarly transmitted but much more mild than the initial phase of Covid-19.
“One important thing is that, unfortunately, that is getting more normal, like in the UK it is now getting more normal during respiratory waves that occur during winter months when you have multiple virus transmissions.
“It is getting quite normal that now you have multiple viruses circulating in our winter waves,” he said.
He added that in South Africa they expect the waves of infection of RSV to start in about the first week of February as happened last year and associated transmission in younger children as they return to school.
“We expect our waves of influenza or the winter respiratory virus to start at the beginning of winter. We do not have anything to be concerned about at the moment in South Africa.
“But what is HMVP? It is not another [new] respiratory virus, it is an old virus — it has been known to exist at least since the late 1980s,” he said.
He added it is a respiratory virus that normally causes a common cold, less severe than the flu, but in the very young and the very old can cause flu-like symptoms.
“What kind of symptoms are we are talking about with the HMVP? We are talking about the normal cold symptoms, flu symptoms of coughing, fever and shortness of breath,” he said.
TimesLIVE
READ MORE:
SA government monitoring China mystery respiratory virus outbreak resembling Covid-19
Nasal swab test may improve asthma care in children
Rubella outbreak believed to be caused by lack of vaccination
Ebola: how a vaccine turned a terrifying virus into a preventable disease
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
News and promos in your inbox
subscribeMost read
Latest Videos