by MARIA VITTORIA PREST
Killer virus, alarm from British doctors. The spread of a killer virus with symptoms similar to Covid and flu is on the rise There is a virus that most people probably do not know exists. It is called human metapneumovirus (HMPV).
It is very dangerous and scientific studies have confirmed that it has been as common as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza in hospitalized pensioners for the past four years.
The symptoms, cough, runny nose or nasal congestion, shortness of breath, sore throat, are the same as for Covid and the flu and the almost absence of tests, outside the hospitalization facilities, favors its spread among the population .
Over the past 25 years, HMPV has been found to be the second most common cause of respiratory infections in children after RSV. Infections that can cause pneumonia, even lethal.
Dr. John Williams, a pediatrician at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, lists it among the viruses that can lead to hospitalizations, cause serious illness, and among the infections most likely to spread in aged care facilities.
Although most people recover in about 7-10 days, in severe cases it can cause wheezing, difficulty breathing, hoarseness, cough, pneumonia.
In people with a fragile immune system or weakened by previous illnesses or age, it can trigger asthma or develop into serious illnesses such as bronchitis or pneumonia.