Professor Paul Hunter from the University of East Anglia notes that almost every child contracts HMPV by five years of age, with reinfections occurring throughout life. “HMPV typically causes cold-like symptoms that recover by themselves within 2 to 5 days. Severe cases are rare but can occur in vulnerable groups,” he says.

India TV’s claims that HMPV is a mysterious virus, or speculation that a new virus may have arisen out of China, are false.

The pictures emerging are arresting: a hospital waiting room in Beijing, full of masked patients apparently attached to drips; crowds of mask-wearing commuters making their way through the city. If it all seems unnervingly familiar,

Five years on from the first news of COVID, recent reports of an obscure respiratory virus in China may understandably raise concerns. Chinese authorities first issued warnings about human metapneumovirus (hMPV) in 2023,