DOH: Virus not new, with mild symptoms like common cold

There is no need to impose lockdowns or border closures amid recent reports of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) outbreak in China, the Department of Health on Wednesday said.

This as the World Health Organization said the HMPV is not a new virus and that the upward trend during the winter “is within the range expected for this time of year.”

“These increases are typically caused by seasonal epidemics of respiratory pathogens such as seasonal influenza and other common respiratory viruses, including hMPV, as well as mycoplasma pneumoniae…The co-circulation of multiple respiratory pathogens during the winter season can sometimes cause an increased burden on health care systems treating sick persons,” the WHO said in its situationer.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said HMPV typically results in mild symptoms similar to those of common colds.

“HMPV is not a new virus. We have been able to identify it for quite some time. Its symptoms are generally mild. Similar to the common cold, HMPV typically resolves on its own, provided that the immune system is robust,” Herbosa said.

He underscored the importance of practicing respiratory etiquette, including covering coughs with elbows and frequent hand washing, to prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses during the colder months.

DOH spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo noted that while HMPV cases – first identified in 2001 – have surged, they remained lower than those recorded in 2023.

“The human metapneumovirus is not comparable to COVID-19, as it is not a novel virus. We are familiar with HMPV; therefore, there is no need to close our borders, as it does not spread aggressively even when present in our region,” Domingo said.

As of January 8, 2025, the Health department reported a total of 179,227 cases of influenza-like illness (ILI) for December 2024, reflecting a 17 percent decrease from the same period in 2023.

The leading causes of ILI in the Philippines include Rhinovirus, Enterovirus, and Influenza A, while HMPV ranked sixth.

At least 284 HMPV cases were logged out from January 1, 2024 to December 21, 2024, with 10 positive cases recorded last month, indicating that HMPV is detected sporadically throughout the year without any significant clustering or unusual patterns, the DOH said.

In the US, cases of HMPV have also been on the rise since November 2024, with about 1.94 percent of weekly tests returning positive as of late December.

In Kuala Lumpur, the Philippine embassy urged Filipinos to remain vigilant, noting that at least 327 cases were reported in Malaysia in 2024, higher than the 225 recorded the previous year.

“This is a respiratory infection that usually feels like a common cold, with symptoms like cough, fever, and runny nose. However, in more serious cases, it can lead to bronchitis or pneumonia,” the embassy said in a statement.

Children under age five, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of catching the virus.

As this developed, COVID-19 is still infecting and killing people across the globe — though at far lower levels than at the height of the pandemic.

Around 777 million COVID cases and more than seven million deaths have been officially recorded since the first infections emerged in December 2019, according to the WHO. However, the true toll is believed to be far higher.

In May 2023, the WHO declared the emergency phase of the pandemic was over. Since then, the virus seems to have gradually become endemic, according to experts, with occasional resurgences similar to the flu—although less seasonal.

“The world wants to forget this pathogen that is still with us, and I think people want to put COVID in the past as if it’s over—and in many respects pretend it didn’t happen—because it has been so traumatic,” WHO pandemic preparedness director Maria Van Kerkhove said last month.

From October to November last year, there were more than 3,000 deaths from COVID across 27 countries, according to the WHO.

Since the Omicron variant emerged in November 2021, a succession of its subvariants have been replacing each other as the dominant strain around the world. At the moment, the Omicron variant KP.3.1.1 is the most common.

The rising XEC is the only “variant under monitoring” by the WHO, though the United Nations agency rates its global health risk as low.

None of the successive Omicron subvariants have been noticeably more severe than others, although some experts warn it is not out of the question that future strains could be more transmissible or deadly.

Millions of people have also been affected by long COVID, a still little-understood condition that lasts months after the initial infection. Common symptoms include tiredness, brain fog and shortness of breath.

About six percent of people infected by coronavirus develop long COVID, the WHO said last month, adding that the condition “continues to pose a substantial burden on health systems.”

Scientists have warned that another pandemic will strike sooner or later, urging the world to learn the lessons of COVID and prepare for next time.

Since late 2021, the WHO’s member states have been negotiating a world-first treaty on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response. However, an agreement has remained elusive ahead of a May deadline, with a key fault line lying between Western nations and poorer countries wary of being sidelined when the next pandemic occurs. With AFP

Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline “DOH rules out lockdowns amid HMPV outbreak in China.”