A virus with no treatment or cure is spreading rapidly in the US — although officials have urged people not to panic yet.
Human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, is transmitted via coughs or contact with a contaminated surface and causes cold-like symptoms such as a cough, fever, runny nose or sore throat.
It normally causes a mild illness that clears up in a few days without treatment, but, in rare cases, it can cause a serious infection, which doctors say they have no vaccines or specific drugs to treat.
Now, surveillance shows the virus is surging across every region of the US.
Latest CDC data showed HMPV was behind five percent of all respiratory infections over the week to February 21, the latest date available, up from 3.8 percent in the previous seven-day period.
Wastewater monitoring warns the virus is now at ‘high’ levels across all four regions of the country. Estimates suggest it is particularly prevalent in California‘s Bay Area, New York City and Chicago.
The surge comes as infections triggered by other respiratory viruses, such as the flu and Covid, have remained lower level in recent weeks.
Dr Matthew Binnicker, the director of clinical virology at the Mayo Clinic, said in a Mayo Clinic release: ‘In the late winter, early spring, it can account for five to 10 percent of all the respiratory infections that we diagnose in the US. So, it’s definitely out there.’
The virus tends to cause symptoms similar to a cold and clears up within a few days. Doctors advise bed rest and drinking fluids to treat the virus
Dr Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease specialist at UC San Francisco, added to SFGate that respiratory viruses ‘compete with each other’ each season.
She added: ‘When we had big Covid surges, we saw really low rates of other common cold viruses. Other viruses like influenza and HMPV are now getting their chance.’
Patients infected with HMPV tend to develop symptoms within three to six days of infection.
Children or teenagers, adults over 65 years old or people with an underlying condition are considered to be at higher risk from the infection.
Research shows that 51 percent of high-risk adults infected with HMPV are hospitalized, while 6.6 percent die from the disease. Overall, however, death from the virus is not common.
The latest figures mark at least the second time infections with HMPV have surged since the pandemic, after they also ticked up across the US in 2023.
Historical data shows the virus typically peaks in March or April. Last year, the virus peaked in April, with a 7.4 positivity rate.
Since the pandemic, the highest percentage was in March 2023 at 11 percent positivity.
Many people with the virus may not seek testing or treatment, so there are likely far more cases than what official data shows.
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The above graph shows HMPV infections in the US since 2024. Cases are spiking again
The CDC says that washing hands regularly, avoiding close contact with people who are sick and frequently cleaning surfaces reduces the risk of infection.
For treatment, doctors tend to recommend bed rest and drinking plenty of fluids. In more severe cases, individuals may be offered supportive care such as oxygen therapy.
First detected in 2001, cases of the disease tend to rise in the winter months every year alongside other respiratory diseases.
Experts say that infections normally peak around April and do not tend to start declining until June.
Although a clinical test is the best way to determine whether an infection is the flu, Covid, respiratory syncytial virus, or another infection, doctors say it may also be possible to determine whether an infection is the flu or HMPV based on symptoms.
In HMPV, they say patients typically suffer from coughing, blocked or runny nose, sore throat and a slight fever.
As with other viruses, this is caused by the immune system fighting the infection, leading to symptoms similar to a cold.
For the flu, on the other hand, they said patients normally experience a cough, but that the other symptoms tend to be worse.
Dr Ron Eccles, an infectious diseases expert in the UK, previously told Daily Mail: ‘Flu typically causes chills, a fever, headaches, muscle aches and pains.
‘The flu feels worse because the symptoms affect the whole body and are not restricted to the upper airways.
‘Gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea are also more prevalent in influenza cases.’
