China Steps Up Emergency Measures To Tackle Outbreak Of New Virus

A mysterious new illness that is sweeping across China has reportedly lead to hospitals being swamped.

China is currently on ‘high alert’ as it sees a surge of people being struck down with respiratory infections and in an attempt to monitor and tackle this ‘new’ virus

The virus, identified as human metapneumovirus (HMPV), has been spiking across northern Chinese provinces this winter, particularly among children.

HMPV which wouldn’t normally raise alarm, however, according to reports, sick children and adults are currently flooding Chinas medical services and reported fatalities are causing concern.

Five years after the covid scamdemic, it appears that history is repeating itself…

The Daily Star reports: Social media posts coming out of the mainland show photos and videos of people wearing masks in hospitals, with local reports claiming that these scenes eerily echo the start of the Covid back in late 2019.

As the numbers peak for those displaying the likes of fever, coughs and sore throats in China, studies suggest that the ‘mysterious illness’ is already ashore the UK. But, what will we be dealing with?

What is HMPV?

The virus is believed to be human metapneumovirus (HMPV) – a respiratory virus that riddles the body with symptoms similar to that of the flu, the common cold and Covid.

Alike the three illness mentioned above, HMPV can be mild with symptoms ranging from a fever, cough, sore throat and fatigue. It has an incubation period from three to six days, meaning you could have the infection without displaying symptoms during this time period.

However, HMPV can also pose as a huge threat to humans in more severe cases. The respiratory virus can lead to various complications, including pneumonia – a lung infection where the air sacs in the organ fill with fluid or puss, causing breathing problems.

Most severe cases of HMPV seem to be tied to children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems or pre-existing conditions.

Despite many first being stunted by this ‘mystery illness’, it isn’t actually new but was first identified 24 years ago back in 2001. The virus is only now causing concern due to its sweeping effect across China and its supposed mirroring of the initial Covid outbreak just over five years ago.

So, how is it spread? Just like many other respiratory illnesses HMPV is a single-stranded RNA virus, which means it is able to spread through respiratory droplets, such as coughing and sneezing. People can also become infected by coming into contact with contaminated surfaces.

Hence why mask wearing and hand washing would be imperative to stop the spread. And it looks like these measures could be really important as there is currently no vaccine or specific treatment to squash HMPV. Instead, it’s about managing symptoms early to make sure the virus doesn’t become more severe.