At present, it is the high incidence of respiratory diseases in winter. Recently, the topic of "human metapneumovirus" has aroused widespread concern, and there are even rumors that it is an unknown new virus. So,What exactly is human metapneumovirus? How should the general population prevent it? The National Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention recently organized relevant experts to introduce the relevant situation and prevention knowledge of human metapneumovirus to the public.
According to experts, human metapneumovirus is a common virus that causes acute respiratory infection. It was discovered by Dutch scientists in 2001, but research shows that it has existed in humans for more than 60 years and is not a new strain. Human metapneumovirus is prevalent in winter and spring in China, mainly from December to April of the following year.
Huang Fang, Deputy Director of the Institute of Immunoprevention, Beijing CDC:Since December 2024, the positive rate of human metapneumovirus detection has gradually increased, which is slightly higher than that in 2023, but the relatively high positive rate does not mean that the epidemic intensity has also changed significantly. Our monitoring in Beijing for more than ten years shows that the change of epidemic intensity is related to the epidemic cycle. Generally speaking, when an epidemic cycle is at a low epidemic level, then a high epidemic season may follow, which is what we often call high epidemic year and low epidemic year.
According to the monitoring of China CDC, the national human metapneumovirus was found in the first week of 2025 (December 30, 2024 — On January 5, 2025, the positive rate was 6.2%, which was far lower than the positive rate of influenza virus (35.5%), and it was not the dominant pathogen of respiratory infectious diseases in China at present.
Expert tip: Human metapneumovirus is mostly recessive infection.
According to experts, human metapneumovirus infection is usually mild, mostly recessive infection, and the symptoms are relatively obvious in young children and the elderly.
Children’s symptoms include cough, rhinitis, fever and asthma. Fever is rare in adults, mainly manifested as cough, rhinitis and asthma. Human metapneumovirus infection is self-limited and can be completely improved in about 1 week.
Zhang Hong, Chief Physician of Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital:The infection of human metapneumovirus is not a new phenomenon, and its symptoms are mild, so the public need not worry too much after infection. Generally speaking, if the symptoms are mild after infection, many patients just have symptoms such as cough and rhinitis, and there is no need to go to the hospital. Usually, they have a good rest at home and can usually get better within a few days. If the patient has obvious wheezing, or if the patient has a fever that persists for a long time, we still recommend going to the hospital for treatment.
At present, there are no targeted antiviral drugs for human metapneumovirus infection, and vaccines are also under development. Human metapneumovirus infection is similar to other viral respiratory infections. The infected person is the main source of infection, which is mainly transmitted through droplets and close contact, and can also be indirectly transmitted through contact with articles contaminated by the virus. The epidemic peak is in winter and spring in the northern region, and in some southern regions, winter or wet rainy season is the peak of infection, and it will be detected at other times. Therefore, the public can prevent infection by strengthening personal protection and other measures, such as washing hands frequently, wearing masks and keeping social distance.
(CCTV reporter Zhang Ping Shi Yingchun)