Study describes impact of human metapneumovirus in outpatients

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Misc Emerging Topics
woman blowing nose
Alex Raths / iStock

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV), a respiratory virus that circulates during cold and flu season and can be severe in young infants and the elderly, can often be mistaken for influenza or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). 

But a recent study in Open Forum Infectious Diseases describes the important clinical differences between HMPV in an analysis of acute respiratory illness (ARI) during five influenza seasons (2016-17 to 2019-20 pre–COVID-19 pandemic, and 2021-22 during the pandemic). 

The study was based on data collected at the Pittsburgh site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention–funded US Flu VE Network study, and included patients 6 months older seen for ARI at outpatient clinics in southwestern Pennsylvania. Patients had a new or worsening cough for less than 7 days. 

Virus peaks later than flu 

HMPV was detected in 4.7% to 7.3% of patients. Detections were usually later than influenza; in 2018-19 and 2021-22, HMPV season seemed to peak in April. For children ages 5 to 17 years, symptoms of HMPV and RSV were indistinguishable, but adults with HMPV reported feeling worse during follow-up than adults with flu. 

The authors said clinical understanding of HMPV, which was first discovered in 2001, is of clinical importance now that RSV, flu, and COVID-19 have vaccines that can help prevent infection. There is no vaccine for HMPV, and the virus can cause severe illness and outbreaks. 

In related news, the West Coast is currently experiencing large clusters of HMPV activity, with the San Francisco Chronicle reporting school and work absences in the Bay Area due to the virus. 

Quick takes: Hemorrhagic fever in DR Congo, testing option for TB, CDC acting director countdown

News brief
Topics
Ebola
Tuberculosis
Public Health
Viral Hemorrhagic Fever
  • Media outlets in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are reporting a possible outbreak of a hemorrhagic fever disease, feared to be Ebola, in Kasai Province. One fatality was reported late last week, and there are several reports of sick people and a health clinic that is operating without gloves or other personal protective equipment. Local officials say testing of patients is underway, and they are awaiting the results. The DRC has not reported any new cases since September 2025, when 64 cases were identified in Kasai province. Forty-three people died in that outbreak. 
  • The World Health Organization (WHO) is recommending for the first time new near-point-of-care (NPOC) molecular tests for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). “These new WHO recommendations mark a major step forward in making TB testing faster and more accessible,” said Tereza Kasaeva, MD, PhD, director of WHO’s Department for HIV, TB, hepatitis & STIs (sexually transmitted infections), in a press release. The testing also incorporates tongue swabbing and a cost-saving sputum-pooling strategy to increase testing efficiency for TB and rifampicin-resistant TB.
  • National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, who’s also serving as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) acting director, is running up against the clock in that position, according to a report in Politico. Federal law states that acting directors at the CDC have 210 days to serve, after which the administration should name a nominee for the position. The CDC has had only acting directors since this summer, when Susan Monarez, PhD, was fired after disagreeing with vaccine policy changes put forth by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 

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