Rising cases of human metapneumovirus in China ‘not unusual’, WHO says

Rising cases of common respiratory illnesses in China and elsewhere around the Northern Hemisphere are within the range expected for winter, with no unusual outbreaks reported, the World Health Organization said.

Reports of a surge of cases in China of human metapneumovirus (hMPV), a common respiratory infection, have drawn headlines worldwide, with reports of overwhelmed hospitals recalling the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic just over five years ago.

However, the WHO said in…