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An image collage containing 2 images, Image 1 shows A young woman with a blanket over her is sitting on a sofa and blowing her nose into a tissue, Image 2 shows Illustration of a human metapneumovirus (HMPV) particle<\/p>\n
Flu season might be winding down \u2014 but don\u2019t stash the tissues just yet.<\/p>\n
A little-known respiratory virus with no vaccine or treatment has been quietly picking up steam since the start of winter, helping drive a wave of illnesses across the country.<\/p>\n
Wastewater surveillance, which tracks pathogens in sewage to measure community spread, shows that levels have reached the \u201chigh\u201d category nationwide as of early March.<\/p>\n
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Research shows that most people will be infected by the respiratory illness at some point in their lifetime. Bettencourt\/peopleimages.com \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
And yet, experts say most Americans probably haven\u2019t heard of the virus, which causes symptoms that closely mimic other respiratory illnesses, like the common cold, flu or RSV.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re definitely less familiar with it,\u201d Dr. Sharon Nachman<\/a>, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children\u2019s Hospital, told The Post.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I hear someone say, \u2018Oh my god, it\u2019s March or April and I have the flu,\u2019 my answer usually is, you may look like you have the flu, you may act like you have the flu, but you have human metapneumovirus<\/a> (HMPV).\u201d<\/p>\n Here\u2019s everything you need to know about the virus making Americans cough, sneeze and sniffle their way into spring.<\/p>\n What is HMPV?<\/p>\n HMPV was first identified<\/a> by researchers in the Netherlands in 2001, though studies suggest it had been circulating in humans for at least a half century prior.<\/p>\n Like the flu, it\u2019s seasonal. Cases typically rise in January, peak in March and April, then drop as the weather warms in May.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the right time of year for us to be seeing it,\u201d Nachman said. \u201cWhen flu season wanes, there\u2019s a biologic niche that needs to be filled, and this respiratory virus jumps right in to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Human metapneumovirus belongs to the same family of viruses that includes RSV, measles and mumps. Corona Borealis \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n What are the symptoms of HMPV?<\/p>\n Most cases are mild and resolve within two to five days. Common symptoms include cough, fever, nasal congestion, sore throat, wheezing, shortness of breath and occasionally a rash.<\/p>\n In some cases, the illness can progress to pneumonia, bronchitis or middle ear infections. HMPV can also trigger asthma flare-ups or worsen chronic conditions such as COPD.<\/p>\n Severe illness is most likely during a person\u2019s first HMPV infection, which puts young children at higher risk. Older adults and people with weakened immune systems are also more vulnerable to complications from the virus.<\/p>\n How common is HMPV?<\/p>\n Studies suggest<\/a> that nearly everyone will catch at least one strain of HMPV over their lifetime, with most infections occurring before age 5. In children, the virus accounts for up to 12% of respiratory infections.<\/p>\n But despite its prevalence, tracking HMPV can be challenging.<\/p>\n \u201cHMPV is rarely tested for when patients come in with a severe cold, so wastewater surveillance is one of the only ways to see how it\u2019s spreading in the community,\u201d said Dr. Alexandria Boehm<\/a>, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University and WastewaterSCAN principal investigator.<\/p>\n When someone is infected, they shed HMPV biomarkers \u2014 specifically nucleic acids \u2014 through their saliva, mucus, urine and feces.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can easily detect these in wastewater in areas where infections are present,\u201d Boehm explained.<\/p>\n Recent data from WastewaterSCAN<\/a> show viral activity nationwide has risen 70% since the beginning of February.<\/p>\n \u201cCurrently, levels of HMPV in wastewater are similar to this time last year, which mirrors what we are seeing at WastewaterSCAN sites in New York,\u201d Boehm said.<\/p>\n Young children, older adults, and individuals with weakened immune systems are at the highest risk for severe HMPV infection. BGStock72 \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n How does HMPV spread?<\/p>\n HMPV spreads through direct contact with an infected person or by touching contaminated surfaces.<\/p>\n The virus is most contagious during the first few days of illness and generally remains contagious for one to two weeks. Symptoms typically appear three to seven days after exposure, according to the Cleveland Clinic<\/a>.<\/p>\n How is HMPV diagnosed and treated?<\/p>\n Doctors usually diagnose HMPV based on symptoms, though a nasal or throat swab can confirm the infection in a lab.<\/p>\n There is no vaccine to prevent it, and no specific treatment for those who become infected.<\/p>\n That, Nachman suggested, helps explain why the virus remains relatively unfamiliar to the public.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s not really a rush to diagnose it, because all I\u2019m going to say is that you have a viral illness, go home, get some rest, and have some chicken soup and tea with honey,\u201d she quipped.<\/p>\n![\"Human](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bf901fe24575f329b551e700ccd21327.jpeg\"\/)
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