HMPV is a respiratory illness with symptoms resembling the flu and COVID-19, it is a different virus.
While Covid has a treatment and vaccine, there is no antiviral or vaccine for HMPV yet.
The WHO and several sources note that HMPV has been around for over 20 years but Covid-19 was a fairly new disease.
It adds that HMPV became more recognised due to increased diagnostic efforts.
Also, while HMPV and COVID spread through the air, by way of respiration and can affect persons of all age groups, the virus and the symptoms are different.
Covid symptoms include loss of smell and taste, muscle aches, and gastrointestinal disturbances which are not seen in HMPV.
Data from China’s Centre for Disease Control reveal that aside from HMPV, there has been a rise in other common respiratory infections, including the seasonal flu and respiratory syncytial virus.
How worried should you be?
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has assured Nigerians that the virus risk in the country was moderate citing an assessment it conducted with the Federal Ministry of Health and partners.
NCDC’s Director General, Dr Jide Idris, further noted that while it was closely monitoring the situation and has implemented actions to ensure public health safety, he emphasised that the World Health Organisation had not declared HMPV a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
However, virologists have urged persons with compromised immunity and the elderly to practice recommended safety procedures such as handwashing, avoiding crowded areas and wearing a face mask.
Punch
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