🤧 HMPV Infections Jumping High in 2023 – Is Your Respiratory System Ready? 🦠

🤧 HMPV Infections Jumping High in 2023 – Is Your Respiratory System Ready? 🦠

TL:DR;
Yo, check this out! The not-so-trendy human metapneumovirus (HMPV), has decided it’s time for a comeback in 2023, spiking about 36% higher than usual! 📈 It’s not quite the same sensation as the viral TikTok dance trends, but it’s certainly causing a stir in our lungs. Let’s get the lowdown.

In a twist that might leave you gasping for air (literally), this spring turned out to be a “meta” party for the human metapneumovirus (HMPV), and we’re not talking about Facebook here. 🙅‍♀️💻 HMPV cases surged to a degree that would make a WallStreetBets day trader envious, with around 19% of all respiratory secretion specimens tested and over 10% antigen-tested specimens returning positive for HMPV. 💉

Don’t you find it a bit off that the year 2023 would pull a stunt like this? Another respiratory virus going wild, just when we thought we might be catching a break. But hold up, before you start preparing your doomsday bunkers, remember that HMPV is not a newbie on the block like SARS-CoV-2. It’s been hanging around since 2001, back when Rudi Giuliani was still getting accolades and Björk’s swan dress was turning heads at the Oscars. But why is HMPV trending now?🤔

Well, one theory is that people have become somewhat sloppy with Covid-19 precautions. Kinda like throwing their old, stinky underwear in the corner and hoping it’ll magically clean itself. Wearing masks, once a symbol of safety, has been relegated to the back burner. 😷➡️🔥 So, could our lax behavior be giving these viruses the opportunity to party hard?

Let’s say you’re indoors and you, um, cut the cheese (in the name of science, of course 🧀💨). How quickly does the air clear? If it’s sticking around longer than your embarrassed blush, your indoor ventilation might not be up to par. Could this be contributing to the spread of these airborne party-crashers?

Now, if you’re expecting HMPV to be the SARS-CoV-2 evil twin, chill! Despite them both being respiratory viruses, they don’t roll in the same way. Think of HMPV more like a pesky flu that causes a cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath. 🤒 Not exactly your dream summer vibe, right? But thankfully, it rarely progresses to severe conditions like bronchitis or pneumonia.

Also, unlike SARS-CoV-2, there’s no suggestion that HMPV has mastered the art of aerosol transmission (i.e., it doesn’t chill in the air for long). But that doesn’t mean you want to invite HMPV to your body party. 🎉🚫

Despite the lack of specific medical treatments for HMPV, our old friend the CDC has some pointers to avoid getting infected. Newsflash! Wash your hands, like, properly (not a jazz hands in water kind of wash).