HMPV outbreak: ‘No need for public to panic’

South Africa is ready and prepared to manage any outbreak or transmission of diseases or viruses from other parts of the world, as China battles with Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) outbreak.

National Department of Health spokesperson Foster Mohale said the country continuously strengthens its preparedness, response and recovery strategies. 4

“The lessons learned from our Covid response will guide us in addressing other outbreaks, whether pandemics or epidemics,” Mohale said.

Virus spreading rapidly

This reassurance comes amid reports of HMPV spreading rapidly in China, prompting global attention.

“As the government, we’re closely monitoring the situation in China like any other outbreak in other parts of the world, using our event-based surveillance and continually looking for updates on the situation,” Mohale said.

HMPV, which mirrors symptoms of other respiratory illnesses such as Covid, has raised concerns and significantly strained their healthcare system.

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Don’t panic

However, Mohale emphasised that there was no cause for alarm, saying this was the normal respiratory season in China.

“We will continue our routine surveillance and public health communications and act on any new information or alerts.

“There is no need for the public to panic and the Department of Health working with the NICD [National Institute for Communicable Diseases] will keep the public up-to-date as and when there are new developments,” he said.

Not like the Covid-19 pandemic

Health experts are also urging the public not to panic.

Prof Cheryl Cohen, head of the Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis at the NICD, said while there were similarities in symptoms between HMPV and other respiratory viruses, it was not the same as the Covid pandemic.

“The two situations are very different; HMPV is a known virus that most people will have some level of immunity to.

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“SARS-CoV-2 was unknown, we did not understand the epidemiology and clinical implication of SARS-CoV-2,” said Cohen.

“It is also important to note that the global population had no immunity to SARS-CoV-2 which allowed the virus to spread rapidly.”

HMPV detected in SA

She added that, in South Africa, HMPV was detected throughout the year as part of normal seasonal respiratory virus patterns.

“HMPV already circulates every year, all year around, in South Africa, as it is one of the normal seasonal respiratory viruses.

“These cases have not resulted in an emergency and it is not anticipated that should we have an imported case of HMPV into South Africa it would be any different,” she said.

“Our robust surveillance systems across the country are equipped to detect increases in respiratory pathogen activity, and our laboratories can test for HMPV and other respiratory viruses.

“Many private laboratories also offer testing for HMPV.”

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No threat on the horizon

Prof Tulio de Oliveira, director of the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation and the KwaZulu-Natal research innovation and sequencing platform, also said HMPV was not an immediate threat to South Africa.

“We believe it does not present a major danger to us. There is no reason to suspect HMPV will become a global threat like Covid. This virus has been circulating in the population for over 50 years and typically causes mild illness,” De Oliveira said.

He added there are no indications of a significant threat on the horizon.

“HMPV primarily affects young children and the elderly, presenting symptoms similar to a cold or mild flu. There is no evidence of a larger, more severe outbreak.

“From our experience with Covid, we know that highly transmissible threats are detected across multiple countries within hours or days,” he said.

De Oliveira also said South Africa is currently not in its respiratory season and other countries, including the United Kingdom, are experiencing surges in respiratory viruses due to the winter season in the Northern Hemisphere.

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“South Africa typically experiences respiratory illnesses during winter. Since we are in summer, this virus is unlikely to cause significant illness here,” he said.

“However, what we’re seeing in China and the UK is a convergence of multiple respiratory pathogens in the same season, leading to simultaneous waves of flu, respiratory syncytial virus, HMPV, and Covid. This ‘quad-demic’ phenomenon is straining health care systems in those regions.”