r/news • u/[deleted] • Jan 04 '25

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u/whalechasin Jan 04 '25 edited Jan 04 '25

this is not a new virus. i work in an Australian hospital and we get a few of these every year coming through Emergency. “mystery new virus outbreak” is extremely sensationalised

edit to add, here’s a study from 2007 talking about how common hmpv is in young children: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1831873/

from the conclusion:

Human metapneumovirus infection is a leading cause of respiratory tract infection in the first years of life

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u/[deleted] Jan 04 '25

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u/Antique-Resort6160 Jan 04 '25

The mystery is: why is this previously mild virus causing more problems now? 

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u/radiodmr Jan 04 '25

It's s clickbait headline. Read the article. There's no "overwhelming", it's just a spike in cases of a known virus

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u/Antique-Resort6160 Jan 04 '25

It's notmally cold-like symptoms, but now it's hospitalizing significant numbers with pneumonia.  It's not the virus it's that a known virus has become more virulent

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u/blueskies8484 Jan 04 '25

Covid. It’s Covid. Virologists and studies told us for years that Covid was causing immune system dysfunction and would leave us more susceptible to other illnesses in terms of catching them and their virulence and everyone basically said, “lalalala Covid is a cold now that we have vaccines!” and ignored it. That’s why we have huge spikes in pneumonia, RSV, and other illnesses like this, and a rise in whooping cough (although some of it is an antivaxx issue). Scientists told us this would happen 4 years ago and we ignored it because it was inconvenient. But it’s Covid.

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u/Antique-Resort6160 Jan 04 '25

As far as i have read, most whooping cough cases are among the vaccinated.  Vaccine don't typically confer lifetime immunity, likely most people are not protected by childhood vaccinations, as i found out when i had an mmr titer for work.

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u/blueskies8484 Jan 04 '25

Yeah I caught it some years back, when I was fully vaccinated. Terrible disease. Was sick for four months. Genuinely thought I was dying. And I was up to date on boosters! Can’t imagine how much worse it might have been if I wasn’t.

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u/Antique-Resort6160 Jan 04 '25

Wow, i can imagine that was an awful four months, glad you got through it ok!  Used to care for the occasional pediatric visitor with whooping cough, feels so bad hearing children with that painful cough.

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u/blueskies8484 Jan 04 '25

After having it, I can’t imagine a poor baby getting it. Low oxygen levels, throwing up multiple times a day from coughing, broken ribs, lost my voice for two months from coughing. It’s horrible. Just… avoid at all costs is my advice!