Like other respiratory viruses, Williams said hMPV tends to affect people with chronic lung disease or existing conditions such as asthma and cancer. But despite this, he found that many doctors were unaware that it was a threat, mainly because until now, no one had tested it outside of academic studies. we just don’t know how common hMPV is,” he said. “Since clinical tests have become available, I’ve had people say, in shock, ‘I had a patient in the ICU with metapneumovirus last week. It’s real, and I never believed it before.’ Until people see it for themselves, I think they don’t believe the burden.” Vermund said that there have been many spikes of hMPV infections in the past, but we didn’t know it or think it was influenza. He explained that one of the consequences of Covid is recognizing the need to greater surveillance of respiratory viruses, which means that the number of hMPV cases is detected by epidemiologists for the first time. respiratory viruses and they conduct public health surveillance, more than other countries, “he said. “I think what we can see is that they did a really good job, and discovered that metapneumoviruses are more common than we realize.” for public health. Currently, he said hMPV can only be detected as part of a so-called multiplex panel, a diagnostic that checks for the presence of up to 25 different respiratory viruses, at a cost of about $200 per patient. While this is a worthwhile investment for emergency room doctors deciding whether to admit a sick baby or send them home, the cost is often prohibitive for regular doctors. , “he said. “But there is no cheap test for hMPV, only this complex diagnostic panel that evaluates many different viruses and is difficult for the average clinic to do.” According to Vermund, the Ragon Institute in Massachusetts is working on ways to reduce the price of viral tests respiratory to less than $ 6 per patient, with the main goal of reducing costs to less than $ 1. awareness of hMPV is to provide a stronger incentive to fast track the vaccine. Currently, there is no licensed vaccine available for the virus, but a few candidate has entered early-stage clinical trials for the past two years. Last summer, scientists at the University of Oxford launched a clinical trial of a combined RSV and hMPV vaccine, and Andrew Pollard, professor of infection and immunity who directs the Oxford Vaccine Group, said adding hMPV to the existing vaccine will be the most practical way to roll out additional immunizations. to the hospital,” said Pollard. “But before we can do that, we need to find out how often you should be vaccinated against hMPV. If you can give immunity by vaccinating every few years, then you can join RSV. While the virus will not cause the next pandemic, it still affects many people who become a major channel in the public health system, as well as a long-unknown cause of death in vulnerable people the common cold for many years, which is a tremendous economic burden, and every time, it kills someone.”
