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The latest respiratory virus making headlines is human metapneumovirus or HMPV. Despite being unfamiliar to many folks, it’s not actually new - it’s been around since at least 2001 and causes about 20,000 hospitalizations per year in the U.S. in kids under five. It’s in the same family as RSV, and for many people, the symptoms can be as mild as a common cold, but, like RSV, it can be more dangerous for young kids, older adults, and those who are immunocompromised. It’s in the news lately because there’s been a spike in cases of HMPV in northern China. Social media created a bit of a frenzy because of the perception that HMPV was a new, emerging virus - but it’s not a novel threat like COVID was back in late 2019. The Chinese CDC has warned people there to take basic precautions including handwashing and staying home when sick. But they’re also warning people not to panic, saying that while cases are higher than normal in that area, there isn’t any pandemic risk, and it may be part of the expected winter spike in respiratory illnesses. HPMV has spiked in the U.S. over the past two years in the spring, so spikes in other countries aren’t unexpected. There’s no action needed for U.S. companies other than the same basic hygiene measures we use for flu, COVID, and colds.
Sources: Guardian, CDC, Washington Post
It’s actually peak season for influenza-like illnesses right now, so if you’re seeing a spike in sick calls, you’re not alone. Last week (which included New Year’s), a whopping 8.6% of all doctor’s visits in the U.S. were for flu-like symptoms, up from just 5% the week before. Hotspots are in the South and West, especially in the Mountain states, but overall rates are increasing across the country. Flu-like illnesses are particularly high among young children, which can lead to more call-outs from working parents juggling childcare. COVID is also picking up, both in hospitalizations and wastewater testing. The common cold is also near its peak for the winter, which is typical for this time of year. And on top of all of that, norovirus continues to spread at high levels. Between all four, it’s pretty bad out there - especially for weary managers who are trying to keep their businesses staffed during the holidays. While abuse of flexible sick policies does occur, especially when PTO has been denied around holidays or big celebrations, the large majority of employees are relying on a certain number of work hours for their income and are eager to get back to work once they’re feeling better. The good news is that we always see a respiratory virus spike this time of year, and these all appear to be at or very near their peak, so we should see some relief in the coming weeks as case numbers start to decline.
Sources: Outbreak Outlook, NoroSTAT
This week, the U.S. reported its first death from bird flu in a person over 65 in Louisiana who had contact with a backyard bird flock. We’ll cut right to the chase - this singular death doesn’t really raise the overall risk of a pandemic. But it does drive home just how serious this illness can be, especially for the very young, the old, and those who are immunocompromised. Experts are more concerned about H5N1, though, because it’s spreading unchecked in dairy cows and poultry flocks as we head into the peak respiratory virus season for the humans who care for those animals. If someone gets the seasonal flu and H5N1, the two viruses could swap genes and create dangerous new mutations. Even without getting any other viruses, the Louisiana patient who died developed new mutations that made their version of H5N1 more likely to transmit from person to person (though it doesn’t seem that they actually passed the virus to anyone). So, there’s a real risk of this thing spreading to humans, but it’s still low for the average person who doesn’t work with livestock. There’s not much that employers can do right now other than prepare a pandemic flu plan and keep an eye on things. If we hear about new mutations among animals, the virus spreading between pigs, or evidence of human-to-human transmission, that’s when we’d really start to worry.
Sources: YLE, Inside Medicine
Our friend Mike Osterholm is an epidemiologist, flu expert, and director of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP). He sat down with STAT News to talk about how public health can rebuild trust with Americans.