'I'm a doctor - here's why HMPV is nothing like Covid'
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A doctor has spoken out about the outbreak of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) to say it is nothing like Covid. Videos have spread on social media showing hospitals overrun with HMPV patients. Children are seen coughing, held by parents wearing face coverings in long lines to the paediatric units while unverified reports of overwhelmed crematoriums and funeral homes have surfaced.
Dr Niamh Lynch, an Irish paediatrician, took to TikTok to reassure her 100,000 followers. The doctor said that despite everybody “freaking out about this new virus that’s supposedly coming from China”, it is in fact “nothing new.”. Dr Niamh said: “I see this every day of the week, every week of the winter, because its nothing new. We deal with HMPV all the time.”.
China’s centre for disease control (CDC) has rejected reports of another pandemic. “Respiratory infections tend to peak during the winter season,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday. He added: "The diseases appear to be less severe and spread with a smaller scale compared to the previous year.”.
The paediatrician Dr Niamh said the symptoms are similar to the common flu and are treated as such. She said HMPV “can cause upper respiratory symptoms like sore throats or ears - it can cause a croupy cough and it can cause a little bit of wheeze.”.
Dr Niamh added: “You manage it much the same as you with any other viral illness - so with pain relief, fluids, and plenty of rest and contacting your doctor if you’re concerned about yourself or your child.” She said that people are putting HMPV in the "same sentences as Covid just to get our attention and scare us that little bit more.".
