HMPV, also known as Human Metapneumovirus, is a virus that causes symptoms similar to cold. Cases of HMPV have been detected in India. The most common symptoms of HMPV includes cough, fever, nasal congestion,

The panic over HMPV began when videos of hospitals in China started making rounds on social media, clearly intending to fuel panic among civilians. But the Human Metapneumovirus outbreak in China still instilled a tad bit of panic among Indians as at least seven cases have been reported till now.

As China experiences a rise in respiratory infections this winter, one little-known virus has gotten a lot of attention – and some people may worry whether the rise in cases could be felt more broadly around the world.

Even as the world fixates on hMPV, a genuine pandemic threat is emerging in the form of H5N1 bird flu. The virus has jumped to cows and spread across the country through dairy herds, poultry farms and even zoos, infecting millions of animals and dozens of people, the vast majority of them farm workers.

Five years on from the first news of COVID, recent reports of an obscure respiratory virus in China may understandably raise concerns.

HMPV is attracting a lot of interest because it is not a household name, but it was discovered in 2001, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said in Geneva.