News of a respiratory virus spreading in China and footage of crowded hospitals have predictably led to panic, with concern that the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) may be COVID 2.0 for 2025.

News outlets and social media posts have commented on the outbreak of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China, suggesting that the little-known virus could cause a pandemic similar to COVID-19.

Reports of a spike in HMPV cases in China may conjure eerie similarities to the early weeks of COVID-19, but public health experts say there are crucial differences — mainly that HMPV is a ...

The Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has reported a sharp rise in respiratory viral infections since December 2024, including from human metapneumovirus (hMPV), drawing widespread ...

According to the CDC, HMPV goes around during specific annual seasons in the U.S., beginning in the winter and lasting until, or through, spring. The CDC's National Respiratory and Enteric Virus ...