Even as the world fixates on hMPV, a genuine pandemic threat is emerging in the form of H5N1 bird flu. The virus has jumped to cows and spread across the country through dairy herds, poultry farms and even zoos, infecting millions of animals and dozens of people, the vast majority of them farm workers.

Texas Department of State Health Services data showed less than 50 HMPV-positive cases each week in December across the state.

While cases are climbing in China, the situation is very different from what it was when Covid-19 emerged five years ago, medical experts say. HMPV has circulated in humans for decades.

And now, the human metapneumovirus, or HMPV for short, is infecting thousands of Americans around the country. The highly contagious virus, which belongs to the same group as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV),

In China, reports of HMPV infections have indeed been rising in recent weeks in the more northerly regions. But so have reports of all the other respiratory pathogens including seasonal flu, rhinovirus and RSV.

Symptoms of HMPV are similar to that of the common cold and can include a cough, fever, runny nose, sore throat, wheezing, shortness of breath and a rash. It can also cause upper and lower respiratory infections.

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV), a flu-like virus spreading in China, has been detected in the U.S. Here’s what you need to know about symptoms and treatment.