AN infectious disease expert at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Dr Chizaram Onyeaghala, has allayed the fears that Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is extremely unlikely to be the next pandemic given the body of knowledge about the virus.
Onyeaghala, in the January edition of the GET Africa webinar series on “HMPV Outbreak: Understanding Risks, Strengthening Preparedness, and Advancing One Health in Africa,” said HMPV is not a new virus but a seasonal virus referred to as a winter bug, and the reasons it wouldn’t lead to the pandemic are multifaceted.
According to him, “HMPV is not a new virus like we saw with SARS-CoV-2. It’s been circulating in its current form for decades. For Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) we know there is a vaccine but for HMPV there is no vaccine against it. Patients usually recover after a few days of mild illness and treatment usually consists of bed rest, fluids, and occasionally the use of antivirals as well.”
Dr Onyeaghala stated that HMPV became a cause for concern and sparked interest in public health professionals and ministers of health across the globe because the world had just recovered from the deadly SARS-CoV-2 pandemic that shocked the health systems around the world.
He said although the China outbreak is the first major documented outbreak of HMPV, limited information exists on whether the cases in other countries are related.
The expert said challenges with HMPV are that it is highly contagious, its clinical presentation is non-specific, there is limited access for its diagnosis especially in low-resource settings including Africa and there is no approved vaccine for preventing HMPV.
Dr Onyeaghala said there are concerns about HMPV mutating and non-adherence to infection prevention and control measures due to a phenomenon that is being termed COVID-19 fatigue.
According to him: “People no longer want to wash their hands frequently. People no longer want to wear face masks because they are fatigued from the intense measures that were put in to combat COVID-19.
He said Africa as a continent must recognize that preparedness for HMPV is vital because past respiratory outbreaks have shown that being prepared is critical to managing any public health crisis that we may be faced with.
“We know that the future will bring other respiratory pathogens, pandemics and large-scale health emergencies. As the world moves forward, a new way of approaching pandemic preparedness is called for.”
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Dr Muge Cevik, a clinical lecturer in infectious diseases and medical virology, said influenza-like illness or acute respiratory infection rates had increased above the baseline levels that are usual for seasonal trends in many countries.
According to her, while Chinese authorities have declared some increased trend, the UK and many European countries are not necessarily seeing much higher positivity for this acute respiratory infection at this time of the year.
“By the age of five, most of us are exposed to HMPV at least twice. And I think we’re seeing the same thing at the moment. The trends are not expected for this time of the year. However, because of the COVID pandemic, there is a possibility that we’re more aware of respiratory infections now. And the hospitals are more aware and laboratories can detect respiratory viruses more,” she declared.
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