New virus symptoms

While COVID-19 rates in the U.S. are relatively low and are declining, the World Health Organization ( "It is causing increasing case counts in certain parts of the world, including India. We're not seeing high rates of XBB.1.16 yet in the United States, but it may become more prominent in coming weeks," says He says experts are seeing new symptoms with the new variant. "One new feature of cases caused by this variant is that it seems to be causing conjunctivitis, or red and itchy eyes, in young patients. This is not something that we've seen with prior strains of the virus," Dr. Binnicker adds. Journalists: Soundbites are available in the downloads at the bottom of the posts. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Name super/CG: Matthew Binnicker, Ph.D./Laboratory Medicine and Pathology/Mayo Clinic. Respiratory rates declining Dr. Binnicker says "The case counts of respiratory infections have begun to drop as we're entering into the spring months in the Northern Hemisphere with warmer temperatures and people getting outdoors," says Dr. Binnicker. "Respiratory viruses, like SARS-CoV-2, tend to decline in the spring and summer months, and that is what we're seeing in most parts of the U.S. right now." SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, keeps emerging because the virus mutates and copies itself as it spreads from person to person, creating new variants. "New variants come and go. We're seeing increased transmission rates, so higher levels of infectivity with r...

All of these viruses can cause cold-like symptoms including fever, runny nose, sore throat, and cough, so “it’s very, very hard to tell the difference between any of them clinically,” says Dr. Helen Chu, an associate professor of infectious disease at the University of Washington and a principal investigator at the Seattle Flu Alliance, which tracks respiratory disease spread. ( While lots of viruses are spreading right now, one respiratory virus is currently causing a particularly high percentage of positives among test results tracked by the CDC: human metapneumovirus (HMPV). More than 20% of antigen and 10% of PCR tests voluntarily reported to the CDC by U.S. laboratories during the week of March 11 came back positive, Dr. John Williams, who is chief of infectious diseases at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and has studied HMPV for more than 20 years, agrees that an uptick in HMPV is not surprising. In North America, HMPV’s peak season is typically February to May, a bit after the typical flu season, he says. This season, “we saw an Plenty of people have likely had HMPV without ever knowing what it was, since it typically results in familiar cold-like symptoms like cough, fever, and nasal congestion. In serious cases—which are most common among young children and elderly or immunocompromised adults—HMPV can also lead to complications including bronchitis and pneumonia, according to the CDC. Some people also experience shortness of breath. It’s difficult to say if...

Buzz60, Buzz60 All eyes were on viruses like influenza and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week reported an “There’s a much greater attention to identifying the cause of (infections) than we’ve ever had before,” said Dr. Rick Malley, an infectious disease specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital. He attributed that increased attention to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The importance of other viruses and the diseases they cause has come to the floor and that’s why I think you’re hearing more about this virus," he said. Here's everything to know about the respiratory virus that flew under everyone's radar this season, including symptoms, transmission and treatment. What is human metapneumovirus, hMPV? Human metapneumovirus, or hMPV, is an infection that affects the upper and respiratory tract, HMPV was first discovered in 2001 and belongs to the Pneumoviridae family, which also includes respiratory syncytial virus, the CDC said. New COVID variant: More: Is human metapneumovirus just a cold? What are hMPV symptoms? People with hMPV typically experience mild symptoms similar to a cold, The CDC says common symptoms include: • Cough • Fever • Nasal congestion • Shortness of breath Young children, older adults and those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for developing more severe disease and can experience wheezing, difficulty breathing and asthma flare-ups. The American Lung Association said secondary infections – like bronchiolitis, bronchitis and pne...

Share on Pinterest A new report issued by the CDC showed a spike in the number of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) cases in early 2023. Israel Sebastian/Getty Images • The CDC reported in May that there has been a spike in the number of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) cases. • Symptoms are similar to a cold, which include cough, runny nose and sore throat. • To tell the difference between hMPV and a cold, testing is required. • Children younger than age 2 are most at risk of hospitalization due to hMPV. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have warned that cases of human metapneumovirus (hMPV) were surging this past spring. According to data from the CDC’s The number of infections from this little-known virus escalated during the winter and continued through spring, but are unlikely to continue in the summer months. Here is everything you need to know about this virus. Human metapneumovirus, more commonly referred to as hMPV, is a virus that affects the respiratory tract. It’s from the same family as the Since the discovery of hMPV, it is now considered the second or third leading cause of lower respiratory viral infections and “Like RSV and influenza, hMPV also has annual epidemics in the late winter and early spring, usually 1–2 months following the RSV and “Many viruses that infect humans to cause respiratory diseases similar to “We did not acquire the types of natural immunity that might have staved off infection. When people started mingling and tr...

A new Covid variant is spreading in the U.S., but will it cause a surge in cases? XBB.1.16 — dubbed “Arcturus” on social media — is another descendant of omicron. It was first detected in early January and the majority of cases have been seen in India so far. It’s been steadily rising in the U.S. in recent weeks, although it still made up slightly less than 10% of new confirmed Covid cases as of Saturday, according to the Last week, the World Health Organization deemed XBB.1.16 a Ali Mokdad, a professor of global health at the University of Washington, said it’s still too early to predict what XBB.1.16 will do. But what he’s seen so far has been reassuring. “We haven’t seen an increase in hospitalizations, we haven’t seen an increase in any of the indicators that make us worry,” Mokdad said. Is XBB.1.16 more contagious? Mokdad said that XBB.1.16 is gaining ground on the previously dominant strain in the U.S., That increased transmissibility appears to be due to the subvariant’s ability to avoid immune detection in the body. “It can’t be spreading so fast unless it has some immune escape,” Mokdad said. The virus has two ways of surviving, Mokdad said. One way is to be more infectious and evade immunity from previous infections or vaccinations, “which this one is doing,” he said. The other one is to become really deadly. “We haven’t seen that yet.” Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, a professor of infectious disease at the University of California, San Francisco, said that aside from the ...

Just a few virus particles are enough to make someone sick, and they spread easily via hands, surfaces, food and water. An infected person can transmit the virus for days after they’re feeling better, potentially even up to two weeks, according to the CDC. Regionally, the The CDC tracks norovirus outbreaks via a network of 14 state health departments. Despite the upward trend, the agency said the numbers of cases and outbreaks fall within the average from 2012 to 2020. In fact, the 254 outbreaks reported between August and mid-February is less than the number during the same period last year, 313. “Reported norovirus outbreaks and reported cases from both state health departments and clinical laboratories remain within the expected range for this time of year,” Kate Grusich, a CDC spokesperson, said in an email. Norovirus rates usually rise in the winter, because most outbreaks in the U.S. happen between November and April. On average, the country sees around 20 million cases per year, with nearly 110,000 hospitalizations and 900 deaths, mostly among those who are 65 and older. Grusich said measures taken earlier in the pandemic to curb Covid's spread likely helped prevent some norovirus outbreaks as well. "As pandemic restrictions have relaxed, the number of norovirus outbreaks has returned to levels similar to pre-pandemic years," she said. Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the country. Food can get contaminated if fruits or vegetables are grown or w...

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a virus that often spreads during the winter and spring. hMPV produces symptoms similar to the common cold. Most people have mild cases of hMPV, but some may have complications such as bronchiolitis, bronchitis and pneumonia. Inhalers, pain relievers and decongestants can help relieve human metapneumovirus symptoms. Overview What is human metapneumovirus? Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a disease that spreads from person to person through close contact. hMPV usually causes symptoms similar to the Most people will have an hMPV infection before the age of five. This virus reoccurs throughout someone’s life. hMPV infections tend to happen in the winter and early spring, along with the flu season. Who might get human metapneumovirus? Anyone can get hMPV, but people most at risk of complications include: • Children under 5. • People who are • Newborns. • People over 65. • People with asthma who use steroids. • People with How common is human metapneumovirus? Researchers estimate that about 10% to 12% of respiratory illnesses in children are related to hMPV. Most cases are mild, but about 5% to 16% of children will develop a lower respiratory tract infection, such as pneumonia. Symptoms and Causes What causes hMPV? A virus causes hMPV. It spreads from an infected person when they: • Cough. • Shake hands. • Sneeze. • Touch objects or surfaces. • Touch other people. What are the symptoms of human metapneumovirus? Human metapneumovirus produces sympt...