An outbreak of metapneumovirus affecting the lungs has been recorded in China (6 photos + 2 videos)

The disease has already spread beyond the country's borders and reached Kazakhstan.





A few years ago, the coronavirus epidemic began. And everyone learned what it was like to stop production, stay at home, and other "joys" that the disease brought with it.



China was the first country to declare "zero tolerance for COVID-19". It was also the country that most actively applied lockdowns and other restrictions. And now some fuss is starting there again.



The Chinese National Disease Control and Prevention Agency has registered an outbreak of respiratory diseases and conducted a study. It showed that human metapneumovirus (HMPV) was present in patient samples.

Its symptoms are similar to a cold or flu virus - cough, fever, and weakness. If the body is strong and the immune system is fine, the disease is mild. But in some cases it develops into pneumonia - just like with covidla - and leads to serious complications. Most often it affects children and the elderly.

In December, the Taiwanese publication Money UDN reported that the mortality rate from HMPV is as much as 43%. This is more than covid had at its peak in 2020-2021. So such information immediately raises questions. This media outlet also raised fears about the fact that there is no cure for metapneumovirus, so doctors only prescribe supportive therapy.



But there is other data.

For example, human metapneumovirus is not a new disease. It was first officially diagnosed in Holland, back in 2001. Some researchers suggest that it had been circulating around the world before, but no one knew it was HMPV and people were thought to be suffering from common pneumonia.

So things may not be so bad. Although in China they took the HMPV outbreak seriously (apparently they remember the last pandemic), and in some provinces people went to hospitals en masse.