CDC monitoring cases of HMPV, maintains there is no ’cause for concern’ in the U.S.

CT Insider – Tuesday, January 7, 2025
By Jessica Bravo

Americans may be wondering if the human metapneumovirus, commonly called HMPV, should be of concern, but experts say it should not.

HMPV, which is a respiratory virus, mostly causes symptoms of a common cold, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Symptoms that may arise from HMPV can include sore throats, runny noses and shortness of breath, the clinic said, and it spreads through human contact and touching objects that the virus may live on.

The New York Times reports that officials in China are reporting a surge in HMPV-related cases, similarly to what occurred five years ago, when the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. But, Chinese officials maintain that the virus, which has been around for decades, “is a known entity and is not a major concern,” the New York Times said.

“The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is aware of reported increases of HMPV in China and is in regular contact with international partners and monitoring reports of increased disease,” the CDC said in an email to CT Insider on Tuesday. “These reports are not currently a cause for concern in the United States.”

The CDC added that with surveillance, which the agency is doing, experts will be able to “rapidly detect any increase in HMPV cases in the U.S” to “provide important updates to the public.”

The CDC’s website has a dashboard that tracks common respiratory viruses from various agencies across the United States, which includes three Connecticut partners: Bridgeport Hospital, Yale New-Haven Hospital and the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH). On Dec. 28, which was the last day of data available, less than 2 percent of all HMPV tests given across the U.S. came back positive.

The Connecticut Department of Public Health has a similar dashboard, but the data fails to include HMPV.

The CDC said there is no vaccine for HMPV currently and tests can be given to detect the virus in patients.

HMPV cases tend to rise in the winter into the spring, the CDC adds, more common in “young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems.”

“Human metapneumovirus most often causes symptoms similar to a cold, but some people can get very sick,” Cleveland Clinic’s website states. “You’re more likely to get severely sick the first time you get HMPV, which is why young kids have a greater risk for serious illness.”

The CDC recommends that people wash their hands with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds, cover their mouths when they sneeze and take other similar measures to reduce the spread of HMPV and other illnesses.

The state’s DPH did not immediately respond on Tuesday to an inquiry on if they knew the number of HMPV cases in the state and if there was any concern within the state on the virus.

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