Human Metapneumovirus: Another Important Cause of Respiratory Illness
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Respiratory viruses are part of our surrounding ecology, with rates increasing and decreasing across seasons and in accordance with the individual virus environmental preferences and human interactions. The SARS-CoV2 pandemic heightened international concern regarding respiratory virus presence and continues to serve as a stark reminder that illness anywhere in the world can have a profound impact on health in the United States. Recent surveillance information from East Asia and the United States have recognized an increase in a respiratory virus that may not be familiar to many, human metapneumovirus (hMPV or HMPV).
Human metapneumovirus is a respiratory virus that belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family, the same family as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and parainfluenza viruses. Although hMPV was first identified in 2001, it has not gained as broad name recognition as other respiratory viruses and may still be unfamiliar to many.
This virus causes respiratory tract infections in people of all ages, but it is most common in young children, older adults, and immunocompromised individuals. hPMV infections are common in late winter and early spring. By the age of 5, most children have been exposed to the virus; reinfections can occur throughout life, though they are generally less severe in healthy adults. This […]
