China’s Winter Surge of Flu-Like hMPV Cases Puts Nations on Edge

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 hMPV are on a steady rise and the pathogen has been identified as a main cause of respiratory illness and hospitalizations this winter, said the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. While not a new virus, hMPV appears to also be vexing governments acro