HMPV is not new or dangerous
health
January 7, 2025
The World Health Organization has provided reassurances regarding the HMBV virus, a respiratory infection spreading in China, stressing that the virus is not new or dangerous, as it is common and does not pose a threat.
A spokeswoman for the World Health Organization said that the organization is in contact with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. She indicated that the organization has been informed that many respiratory infections are spreading in China, as is usual in the winter, including “influenza,” “RSV,” “Covid-19,” and “HMBV.”
In early December, Chinese media began reporting on the rise in cases of human pneumonia virus (HMBV), which raised global health concerns 5 years after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in China.
However, Beijing and the World Health Organization have been trying to allay fears in recent days. Margaret Harris, a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization in Geneva, said the virus is attracting a lot of attention because it is not a household name, but it was discovered in 2001.
She explained that HMBV is a common virus that spreads in winter and spring.
Harris added, “The levels of respiratory infections reported in China are within the usual level for the winter season… and the authorities reported that hospital utilization is currently lower than it was at this time last year, and there were no emergency procedures or responses.”
