One doctor has an issued a warning to those worried about the HMPV virus
A doctor has spoken out about the outbreak of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) to say it is nothing like Covid. Videos have spread on social media showing hospitals overrun with HMPV patients.
Children are seen coughing, held by parents wearing face coverings in long lines to the paediatric units while unverified reports of overwhelmed crematoriums and funeral homes have surfaced.
Dr Niamh Lynch, an Irish paediatrician, took to TikTok to reassure her 100,000 followers. The doctor said that despite everybody “freaking out about this new virus that’s supposedly coming from China”, it is in fact “nothing new.”
Dr Niamh said: “I see this every day of the week, every week of the winter, because its nothing new. We deal with HMPV all the time.”
China’s centre for disease control (CDC) has rejected reports of another pandemic. “Respiratory infections tend to peak during the winter season,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday. He added: “The diseases appear to be less severe and spread with a smaller scale compared to the previous year.”
The paediatrician Dr Niamh said the symptoms are similar to the common flu and are treated as such. She said HMPV “can cause upper respiratory symptoms like sore throats or ears – it can cause a croupy cough and it can cause a little bit of wheeze.”
Dr Niamh added: “You manage it much the same as you with any other viral illness – so with pain relief, fluids, and plenty of rest and contacting your doctor if you’re concerned about yourself or your child.” She said that people are putting HMPV in the “same sentences as Covid just to get our attention and scare us that little bit more.”
The surge in numbers of people infected may be down to more sophisticated technology now better tracking the disease, she said. Crucially, HMPV is not a novel virus like Covid-19 was.
It has been circulating for several decades, meaning there is level of immunity in the global population from past infections. Covid-19 was a new disease, meaning there was no immunity in the global population causing the pandemic-level event.
One TikTok follower said: “It’s not new. My twins had this over a year ago. Sickest they have ever been.”
Others thanked the doctor for her words. Follower Emma said: “OMG, thanks for putting my mind at ease.”
Charlotte agreed, saying: “Thank you for this video. It helped my anxiety.”
