Why is China Scaring the World?

The world has woken up to a horrific nightmare after the health crisis in China sent shocking reminders of the year 2020, a year that brought panic, tragic and sudden deaths, devastation, psychological aftermath, and more importantly, children locked up in houses. Several unconfirmed pictures and videos gone viral showing scenes of panic-stricken hospitals overloaded with thousands of patients are too scary to be ignored till they are verified. Media reports said that China claims it to be a Pneumonia of unknown origin.

Beijing claims it to be a new variant of a general flu and that they have set up several centres to monitor the virus. Isn’t this statement quite familiar? Yes, we have heard similar words coming from China some 4 years ago when China was busy tackling the onset of Covid Pandemic, before it spread to the world. China is facing a new disease outbreak which also looks like the Wuhan virus. While China is downplaying the situation, unverified pictures are telling a different story. Experts point out that it is not really a new virus and that it has been around for the last 60 years.

Doctors are dealing with a known virus, yet there are reasons for us to be worried about, because the scale of the outbreak is massive. Thousands of patients have reportedly got admitted to hospitals all over China, and a similar situation of demand exceeding supply had struck across the medical fraternity. Hospitals are at capacity, and patients are only on the rise.

The cases of HMPV patients have been reported in almost all cities across china, however, Inner Mongolia, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and Shanxi have reported the highest number of cases. The most important worry at the moment is that China has not shared actual data of the exact number of positive cases and the extent of the impact, and hence it has become difficult to gauge the potential of the new virus to take the form of a covid like pandemic or even bigger. It could be a routine flu, it could be as big as covid, or it could be even bigger.

The world is left to do the guesswork yet again. Same symptoms as that of covid, similar situation where the doctors have no solution, no medicine to prescribe and no vaccine to prevent. Secondly, HMPV targets the children and the adolescents to the maximum.

The human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) typically causes symptoms similar to a cold, such as coughing, wheezing, runny nose, and sore throat. While most cases are mild, young children, adults over 65, and people with weakened immune systems are at a higher risk for serious illness. The outbreak has resulted in overcrowded hospitals, with multiple viruses, including influenza A, HMPV, Mycoplasma pneumonia, and COVID-19, spreading rapidly across China.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on China to share data and access to understand the origins of COVID-19, which is essential for preventing and preparing for future epidemics and pandemics. Some media reports have claimed that China has refused to share the data and more information regarding the virus.

In severe cases, the virus leads to pneumonia, Bronchitis. In that case, they require ventilators, ICU and Oxygen supply. The Indian government has assured that there is no immediate cause for concern regarding the spread of HMPV in India, but has advised taking necessary precautions against respiratory infections.

What is HMPV?

Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a type of virus that affects the respiratory system. It was first identified in 2001 in the Netherlands and has since been recognized as a significant cause of respiratory illness worldwide. Experts point out that It is believed to have originated from avian metapneumovirus (AMPV), specifically subtype C (AMPV-C), through a zoonotic transmission event. This means that the virus jumped from birds to humans, likely through an intermediate host.

A case of HMPV virus infected patients was first reported in 2001 in the Netherlands, but retrospective studies suggest that the virus had been circulating in humans for at least 50 years prior to its discovery. Since then, HMPV has been detected worldwide, causing respiratory tract infections in people of all ages.

How is it spread?

HMPV has been detected in many countries, including the Netherlands, North America, Australia, and Europe.

Dr. Mandar Bapaye, Mumbai based Pediatrician says it is relatively new virus. First isolated case was found in 2001. Whether it will turn out to be as big as COVID depends on a lot of factors.

It could as far as morbidity is concerned especially in vulnerable populations… children and elderly also people with compromised immunity.

“China has claimed categorically that it's not so severe as compared to last year.....but China is known to keep things clandestine. It's too early to say if India needs to worry. We have to know what kind of severity the virus has?.... How morbid it is? Till then we should not panic but should be cautious,” Dr. Bapaye says.