China reports unusual hospital overload. Bad memories come back. But this time it’s not Corona.
An extraordinary overload of hospitals is reported in China. It is not yet entirely clear whether flu pathogens or other viruses are responsible. In fact, the human metapneumovirus is circulating in the country. What’s behind it?
The good news: Corona and the hMPV are completely different in one respect: SARS-CoV-2 was practically unknown before 2019. The virus now rampant in China has been known since 2001. It was first isolated and detected in Rotterdam. The virus is related to an old friend: RSV.
You can read more about RSV here.
Apparently it has been circulating in humans for at least sixty years. Young children and people with previous illnesses and/or weakened immune systems are particularly affected. The symptoms are flu-like: fever, headache, runny nose and cough. The second most common (proven) cause of bronchitis is hMPV.
Therefore, many people have already had a basic immunization, i.e. an infection. Nevertheless, larger outbreaks still occur. After the Corona lockdowns, this was particularly noted in Great Britain and the USA. Apparently this is a catch-up effect due to the strict lockdown measures.
According to the current RKI weekly report, the virus is also active in Germany. Seven percent of the virus samples submitted could be traced back to hMPV.