The human metapneumovirus is reportedly surging in China, but should Americans be concerned? Here's what to know about HMPV symptoms and more.

Dr Andrew Catchpole, chief scientific officer at challenge trial and laboratory services company hVIVO, said rates of serious hMPV “may be higher in China than what we would expect in a normal year”. More information is needed to understand whether the circulating strain was different from previous ones he said, but there is no need to panic.

News that northern China is seeing a surge of the respiratory illness called human metapneumovirus (HMPV), bringing an uptick in hospitalizations, is sparking a bit of anxious déjà vu on social media.

Plenty of viruses are having their strongest season for years. But experts have urged calm about HMPV, which is not a new disease — even if you've never heard about it.

China is currently experiencing a surge in infections from a respiratory virus, leading to overcrowded hospitals as local authorities fear the onset of a new epidemic.

Funerals are reportedly being performed en-masse as deaths mount from the mystery condition five years after the first cases of Covid were detected

It's been five years since we first started hearing about a contagion out of China called the coronavirus, and now there's word of a new virus causing concern. The Guardian reports that cases of human metapneumovirus,

China is currently being confronted with a not yet well-known virus. A lot of people who have contracted the virus in northern China are flocking to the hospital, causing an overwhelm in several Chinese hospitals.