As cases of the HMPV virus continue to increase in the U.S. and in China, here's what you need to know about the virus.

The pictures emerging are arresting: a hospital waiting room in Beijing, full of masked patients apparently attached to drips; crowds of mask-wearing commuters making their way through the city. If it all seems unnervingly familiar,

While cases are climbing in China, the situation is very different from what it was when Covid-19 emerged five years ago, medical experts say. HMPV has circulated in humans for decades.

The increase in cases of this pathogen in China resurrects old fears. Experts include it in the package of known winter viruses. China has done it again. The announcement of an increase in cases of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) has raised alarms,

Five years on from the first news of COVID, recent reports of an obscure respiratory virus in China may understandably raise concerns.

A leading GP has reassured Britons that there is no cause for alarm over the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) outbreak, despite recent concerns. Speaking to GB News, Dr Renee Hoenderkamp explained that HMPV has been "circulating for at least 15 years" and is similar to "a common cold".