Cases of the latest mystery virus that ripped across China during the start of the month are reaching a new high in places such as the UK.
Older patients are said to be the worst hit in this category as official data went on to show how one in 20 hospital patients were tested for respiratory infections.
These ended up testing positive for the human metapneumovirus as of mid January, reports shared. Moreover, this happens to be the highest figure for the winter season so far and double the figure seen by health officials in the United Kingdom.
The country’s health security agency explained how the levels for the hMPV in the UK stand at a medium based on the 8000 samples that were tested so far.
Concerns were linked to distressing images from China that displayed how hospitals were overflowing with a long list of masked parents holding young kids in an echo of the early days of the COVID pandemic.
Local news reports blamed the hMPV but not a lot is known about this uncommon bug, sources shared.
It tends to cause a mild cold-like illness but could end up being serious for a few people. Moreover, the latest on this front from British data speaks about how 7% of young kids tested in hospitals across the UK were positive for hMPV as mentioned in the newest report.
While this might be a fall from one in 10 testing positive during the year’s start, cases continue to surge amongst elderly individuals.