As people have begun freaking out about the potential outbreak of the respiratory infection Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV), the top UK virus experts have called on Chinese authorities to disclose vital information on the infection, Daily Mail reported. 

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Virus expert Dr Andrew Catchpole said the UK authorities "need more information on the specific strain circulating" in order to accurately assess the threat to the people living in Britain. 

This comes as infection cases have surged across the UK, with cold-like symptoms. According to the graphs, the numbers have doubled over the last month. 

Also read: Why is there no HMPV vaccine despite the virus's discovery 24 years ago?

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According to the latest UK surveillance data, as many as one in 20 cases of respiratory infections could be due to the HMPV infection. 

"HMPV is usually detected in the winter periods but it does seem that the rates of serious infection may be higher in China than what we would expect in a normal year," said Dr Catchpole, the Chief Scientific Officer at infectious disease testing firm hVIVO.

"We need more information on the specific strain that is circulating to start to understand if this is the usual circulating strain or if the virus causing high infection rates in China has some differences," he added. 

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Also read: India: HMPV cases rise to seven in a day; health minister says ‘no reason to worry’

Catchpole further said that it is unclear just how high the numbers are or if issues are coming up purely due to coinciding with high flu and Covid levels. 

He further noted that while HMPV "does mutate and change over time with new strains emerging', it is 'not a virus considered to have pandemic potential". 

Meanwhile, multiple experts urged people not to panic as the majority of infections cause "mild, cold-like symptoms". 

However, Jaya Dantas, a professor of international health at Curtin University in Australia warned, "In young children, the elderly, and those who are immune compromised, hMPV can lead to severe cases and can move to the lower respiratory tract and may lead to pneumonia."

Also read: Old posts claiming 'COVID-19 is not a health emergency' resurface amid rising HMPV cases

"We need to use a cautious and measured approach, as we know so much more since the Covid pandemic," Jaya added.

Cases surge in US

According to new data, the HMPV virus is also widely spreading in the US. Following this, Western specialists have urged China to be more open about an outbreak of influenza. 

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that less than 300 positive test results were recorded in the last week of December.

It said that the CDC is "monitoring" the instances in China, adding that the current cases are "not currently a cause for concern in the US.”

China has said that respiratory ailments are "less severe" and "smaller in size" than they were in 2024. 

(With inputs from agencies)