China’s winter illness season is less severe compared to the year before, according to data from its health authority. But the proliferation of a long-standing though little-known pathogen called human metapneumovirus (hMPV) has been raising alarm both at home and in other countries.

Cases of human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, are in the U.S. too, and it looks similar to other seasonal illnesses. Here's what to know before you panic.

Plenty of viruses are having their strongest season for years. But experts have urged calm about HMPV, which is not a new disease — even if you've never heard about it.

It's been five years since we first started hearing about a contagion out of China called the coronavirus, and now there's word of a new virus causing concern. The Guardian reports that cases of human metapneumovirus,

China is currently being confronted with a not yet well-known virus. A lot of people who have contracted the virus in northern China are flocking to the hospital, causing an overwhelm in several Chinese hospitals.