Human Metapneumovirus Outbreak in China 2025: What You Need to Know and How to Stay Safe?

China’s outbreak of human metapneumovirus infection led to scholars calling for public disclosure of pathogen information to prevent mutation

Human Metapneumovirus Outbreak in China: China has recently experienced a large-scale outbreak of human metapneumovirus (HMPV), which has overcrowded some hospitals and caused social panic, reminiscent of the outbreak of the new coronavirus (COVID-19). Although the virus has put pressure on the medical system, epidemiologists emphasize that the virus is not new and has a low mortality rate, and the public does not need to panic while strengthening basic protective measures.

They also called on the authorities to disclose pathogen information and increase vigilance during the Spring Festival travel period to prevent the virus from spreading further in order to prevent the virus from mutating.

According to the National Sentinel Surveillance Report on Acute Respiratory Infectious Diseases released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on January 9, in the first week of 2025, the pathogens detected in respiratory samples of influenza-like cases in outpatient clinics of sentinel hospitals were mainly influenza virus, human metapneumovirus, and rhinovirus, among which “the positive rate of human metapneumovirus fluctuated at a high platform”.

Analysis shows that the overall acute respiratory infectious diseases continue to show an upward trend. In December 2024, the Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued a reminder that the number of patients with respiratory infections in the respiratory outpatient clinics of local hospitals at all levels has increased significantly, which has attracted widespread attention.

Human metapneumovirus is a virus that can cause acute respiratory infections. It was first discovered in the Netherlands in 2001. Its common symptoms are similar to those of influenza, including cough, fever, and shortness of breath. In severe cases, it can cause complications such as bronchitis and pneumonia. Children under 5 years old, the elderly over 65 years old, and those with weak immune function are all high-risk groups that are prone to severe infections.

This is the peak season for respiratory viruses. In addition to HMPV, viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) also have a high transmission rate. The increase in cases in the northern region is more obvious, reflecting the activity of the virus in the cold season.

In addition to China, India has also seen an increase in HMPV cases since January 2025, with confirmed cases reported in Bangalore, Nagpur, Tamil Nadu, and other places. In addition, Malaysia and Hong Kong have also reported related cases in recent days.

Online posts exacerbate panic

Posts by some netizens have exacerbated people’s panic.

Netizen “Sunny Day”, who is suspected of working in a hospital in Jiangsu, posted on December 25 last year: “One was sent away at five in the morning. This wave of the virus is very powerful. They are all pneumonia and respiratory failure. The transmission rate is not as high as that of the new crown (COVID-19), but the mortality rate is much higher than that of the new crown. There are 30 patients in our building, and now there are only 24 left…”

According to other netizens, the post was quickly deleted.

A netizen from Shaanxi Province, “Staying Dreaming to Fly”, said: “My father went to Henan last week and came back with dizziness and fever and was hospitalized for pneumonia. He is no longer with us.”

A netizen from Liaoning Province, “Half Durian 520”, said: “Everyone has been very nervous since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the outpatient clinics were full in December.

” A netizen from Beijing, “Lazy Fortune Niuniu”, said: “It is a new (virus), and this time it is highly contagious, similar to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

A netizen from Beijing, “Tattoo“, said: “Last year, my daughter was infected with human metapneumovirus, which was very serious. She had a repeated high fever of more than 40 degrees for nine days and was hospitalized for seven days. There was no specific medicine, so she could only take cough medicine for cough and antipyretics for fever.”

A netizen from Guangdong Province, “Huang Yuanyuan”, said: “My son was infected with human metapneumovirus and adenovirus this year (2024). The entire course of the disease was about half a month, and he was hospitalized for a week. The main symptoms were persistent high fever, eye discomfort, and bronchitis.”

At present, the relevant units are further observing the actual impact of the HMPV epidemic. How to balance scientific prevention and control with social stability has become the focus of public attention.

Chinese officials said that HMPV prevention and control has been strengthened, especially in public health prevention and control. Although the number of cases has increased, the current epidemic is milder than last winter. Public health departments emphasize strengthening hygiene habits and preventive measures to reduce the spread of the virus. In response to the increase in HMPV infections in China, the World Health Organization (WHO) said that the number of respiratory infections reported in China is within the normal range for winter.

Experts analyze the various reasons for the spread of the virus and believe that it will not cause a pandemic

William Schaffner, a professor at the Department of Health Policy and Prevention Hospital at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, told VOA via email that HMPV, discovered in 2001, has been studied for many years, and the scientific and public health communities are very familiar with the virus and its spread among the population.

He said that HMPV, like other respiratory viruses such as influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), is prevalent mainly in the winter, partly because people tend to stay indoors more often in cold seasons and come into closer contact with others, creating ideal conditions for the spread of respiratory viruses.

“HMPV will not cause a global epidemic, but the number of cases in many countries will increase seasonally in the winter as usual,” Schiffner told VOA. “Ordinary people can try to avoid contact with people who cough or sneeze, take social distancing measures, such as avoiding crowded indoor activities, and wear masks. Unfortunately, there is currently no vaccine available for HMPV.”

He mentioned that HMPV is currently spreading rapidly in many parts of the world, and the cases in China have attracted more attention, probably because “the more tests are conducted, the more cases are found.”

Epidemiologists: HMPV has a lower mortality rate than COVID-19 and is less prevalent than influenza

Du Chengzhe, attending physician and director of the Department of Thoracic Surgery at the Zhonggang Branch of Cheng Ching Hospital in Taichung, Taiwan, said in an interview with VOA that the biggest difference between HMPV and COVID-19 is the lower mortality rate. Although HMPV may cause complications such as pneumonia, the symptoms of most infected people are still similar to the common cold and will not cause large-scale deaths like COVID-19.

Du Chengzhe pointed out that HMPV has been detected in many countries and its prevalence is relatively stable. It may account for 10% of cold cases in normal times, but people will not check it out when the symptoms are mild. He said that the cold climate in winter and densely populated areas, especially in China and India, may have provided favorable conditions for its spread, leading to the outbreak.

He said: “A while ago, everyone was protected by vaccines, isolated, and wearing masks. If you haven’t been infected for a long time, this wave of (infection) will become very severe. Once the number of (confirmed) cases is large, there will be more pneumonia in proportion, which will impact local medical care. If many elderly and children are suddenly hospitalized in local medical care, it will definitely cause congestion or panic in the hospital.”

Du Chengzhe said that the main virus prevalent in winter is still the influenza virus. Although HMPV has broken out in some areas, its influence is not as great as that of influenza.

Regarding the reasons for the recent large-scale HMPV cases in China, epidemiologist Dr. He Meixiang, honorary researcher of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, analyzed that northern China is in the cold winter, coupled with the recent economic downturn and social pressure, from a scientific point of view, it may be the reason for the decline in human immunity and the accelerated spread of the virus.

He Meixiang also said that although the strict epidemic prevention during the COVID-19 epidemic in China blocked the spread of the disease, after the policy was relaxed, due to the decline in the level of herd immunity, it is easy to have “immune debt”, resulting in a surge in cases in a short period of time.

Experts: To prevent HMPV mutation, information should be more transparent

The epidemiologist also worries that China’s lack of information transparency may bring greater risks, because even known viruses may bring new threats due to mutations.

He Meixiang told VOA: “International scholars will call on China to disclose information about the pathogen and do some research on the genes to confirm that it is not a new virus, because even old viruses may be new variants.”

She emphasized that information transparency not only helps to improve international trust but also effectively reduces the spread of rumors and panic and avoids unnecessary misunderstandings.

Scholars warn of the risk of virus transmission during the Spring Festival

Professor Zhan Changquan of the Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, said that after experiencing the COVID-19 epidemic, China is more alert than in the past and should have enough energy to deal with the virus and monitor it.

Although Chinese officials predict that this wave of the epidemic will not be more serious than last year, he emphasized that attention should still be paid to the development of the epidemic around the Spring Festival and the Lantern Festival, and in January and February.

Zhan Changquan said: “Especially as the Chinese New Year is coming soon, the population is dense, and the population is moving, which makes it easier for the virus to spread. There is no absolute pandemic, no absolute safety, and no absolute unsafety. It is better to be cautious.”