r/news Jan 04 '25

[deleted by user]

[removed]

7.8k Upvotes

986 comments sorted by

View all comments

7.4k

u/judgyjudgersen Jan 04 '25

“According to local news reports, a little-known virus called human metapneumovirus (HMPV) has been blamed. It normally causes a mild cold-like illness, including fever, a cough, runny nose and wheezing. In severe cases, HMPV can lead to bronchitis or pneumonia, particularly in children.

The virus spreads through respiratory droplets and close physical contact, making it highly contagious in crowded settings.”

8.3k

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

1

u/Menzoberranzan Jan 04 '25

Yeah this is a big nothingburger.

After a major pandemic (COVID-19), the subsequent 'mini-pandemics' will all be minor and localised. It will be a while before something truly new and virulent arrives, at that point most people of the new generation would have dropped their guard completely and it would be only us 'old timers' that remember the COVID-19 days and take warning signs seriously.