Human Metapneumovirus

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) can cause upper and lower respiratory disease in people of all ages, but especially among young children.

It predominantly causes mild flu-like symptoms but can be more severe in those at extremes of age and those with a compromised immune system, such as individuals who have had an organ or stem cell transplant or individuals with HIV infection.

Discovered in 2001, hMPV is in the same family as Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Advances in molecular diagnostic tests such as PCR has increased identification and awareness of hMPV as an important cause of upper and lower respiratory infection in recent years.

Respiratory Virus Snapshot

FLU

MEDIUM | Activity Increasing

Influenza Virus

Influenza activity is circulating at medium levels and increasing. Emergency department (ED) attendances for influenza-like-illness (ILI) rising as well asinfluenza-confirmed acute respiratory infections (ARI). Of influenza viruses subtyped, the majority were A(H3N2).

COVID

MIXED | Circulating at baseline levels

SARS-CoV-2

Activity showing mixed trends. ED attendances for COVID-19-like illness remains stable. Reported SARS-CoV-2-confirmed acute respiratory infections (ARI) remain stable week-on-week.

RSV

MEDIUM | Mixed activity across indicators, circulating at medium levels

Respiratory Syncytial Virus

RSV activity showed mixed trends across indicators and is circulating at medium levels. ED attendances for acute bronchiolitis increasing.

Updated 7th September, 2025

hMPV | Key Facts

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) can cause respiratory illness and spreads person-to-person or surfaces to person. It occurs year-round, but has a winter-spring spike.
Symptoms include cough, fever, nasal congestion and shortness of breath. It often presents as a respiratory infection in the first year of life but also occurs in adults with an annual incidence of 11% and can lead to secondary bacterial pneumonia.
It is possible to test for HMPV but there is no specific treatment, only supportive care.
The usual prevention measures apply: hand washing, cleaning surfaces, staying home if sick.

What Is It?

hMPV is common virus that causes cold-like symptoms indistinguishable from other common-cold causing viruses and is not usually serious. This means most infections go undiagnosed as people with colds don’t usually have tests to identify the specific bug that’s causing the symptoms.

But it can be serious in the elderly, the immunocompromised, and children. Cases requiring hospital treatment are almost exclusively in these groups.

Is It A New, 'Mystery' Virus?

No. It was first identified almost a quarter of a century ago by Dutch scientists. hPMV is a common respiratory infection that peaks in winter. Almost every child will have at least one infection with hMPV by their fifth birthday and we all have multiple reinfections throughout our lifetime.

One of the issues with infections like this is that they are being diagnosed more frequently due to molecular diagnostic tests, so it’s not always easy to know whether there has been an actual increase or just more/better testing.

What About China?

There has been a surge in infections but these coincided with high rates of influenza and COVID, putting health systems under considerable strain just as they are in many other countries at present – including the UK. hMPV is usually detected in the winter, but it does seem that the rates of serious infection may be higher in China than in a normal year.

What’s not clear is that just how high the numbers are in China, or if there are issues are arising purely due to it coinciding with high flu and COVID levels. Also China does not have a primary care system (such as GPs in the UK) – if you are sick you present at the hospital so we need to treat headlines about ‘increased hospitalisations’ carefully.

Is This The Next COVID?

Whilst hMPV – like all viruses – does mutate and change over time with new strains emerging, it is not a virus that is considered to have pandemic potential. This is because the changes in hMPV are gradual and based on previously circulating strains.

Pandemics occur when a totally new virus enters the human population (such as SARS-CoV-2). Also there is no known animal reservoir for hMPV so it’s not like flu where an entirely new variant can suddenly arise when strains reassort in another animal.

Even if the hMPV in China is a new variant it is likely to be closely related to previously circulating hMPV strains, so there will be a level of pre-existing immunity from previous exposure to hMPV. This will significantly reduce the disease burden in healthy people.

Young people have less developed immune systems, and in the elderly the immune system’s effectiveness declines over time, hence the increased susceptibility to more serious outcomes from infectious diseases.

Advice To Productions

This virus is not new, you’ve probably had it in the past and we can see no reason to adopt more stringent procedures than productions would for other common respiratory viruses – sensible hand, surface and respiratory hygiene, encourage those with flu-like symptoms to stay at / work from home and protect those with underlying respiratory / immunological issues.

While hMPV is not COVID, many of the same workplace precautions / mitigations will be effective during high transmission periods.

External Resources

UKHSA: Other Respiratory Viruses

Questions?

It can be difficult to separate the facts from the speculation about this topic: if the information below leaves you with any unanswered questions, please use the Feedback link at the bottom of this article. Your questions really help us hone content like this and we appreciate each and every one. Thank you.

Specialist: Sean Derrig

Sean is a microbiologist with extensive experience in infection control and outbreak management. He has advised NHS Trusts, blue-chip corporates and Michelin-starred restaurant groups across Europe, North America and Australasia. He also has a side hustle in formulation chemistry and bioremediation. Since joining First Option in early 2020, Sean has been providing productions and the industry clear, practical, evidence-based guidance and dispelling myths and misinformation. He is a passionate science communicator so you probably wouldn't want to get stuck in a lift with him.

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Article last updated on Sep 7th, 2025

Human Metapneumovirus

Human Metapneumovirus