HMPV outbreak in China: What is the situation there and should you be worried?

A steady flow of visitors was seen outside a children's hospital in Beijing's Chaoyang district on Jan 6, during the ongoing flu season.- ST

BEIJING: China is in the midst of a surge in cases of human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, a common virus which can cause respiratory illness and affects children and the elderly more seriously.

Other countries such as Vietnam and India have said that they are monitoring the potential spread. Malaysia on Jan 4 reported a 45 per cent rise in HMPV cases in 2024 from 2023.