It is very improbable that HMPV will spread to anything close to the level of the coronavirus pandemic, however, because of the greater level of worldwide resistance to the virus.
What are the opinions of experts? The illness has been likened to RSV by Professor John Tregoning, an expert in vaccine immunology at Imperial College London,
Who told The Daily Mail: “It is part of the cocktail of winter viruses that we are exposed to and, like other viruses, it will transmit in coughs, sneezes and in droplets.”
He went on to say that avoiding “well-ventilated spaces” and doing basic things like washing your hands often and covering your mouth while coughing will help prevent the virus from spreading.
Additionally, he pointed out that because it is a virus, antibiotics won’t work and that the primary therapy is symptom management.
“We have to ‘wear a mask in public’ and avoid people in order to protect the weak,” remarked Professor Jaya Dantas of Curtin University in Australia.
