Wetin be Human Metapneumovirus [HMPV] and pipo suppose dey worried?

Nigeria goment don tok say dem go begin quarantine travellers wey enter di kontri from kontris wey dey prone to HMPV.

NCDC official explain say dem go begin test travellers from di point of entry to ensure say dem no dey infected.

According to director at di Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), John Oladejo, Nigeria go begin put measure in place to ensure say travellers quarantine for Nigeria border for about three days bifor dem go allow dem to go to dia destination.

"We dey wit di border control to quarantine, we dey work hand-in-hand wit dem to ensure travellers fill di form and dem test dem. Dem go watch dem for about two to three days bifor dem allow dem to go to dia destination," di director tok.

E tok say di virus dey affect di respiratory system and dem go make sure say pipo maintain good hygiene to manage di virus in public places.

"Dis particular virus dey affect di respiratory system and na sometin wey we no suppose ova look," e tok.

"We go put Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) in place, we go make sure say pipo get very good hygiene to ensure say anywia dem go bifor you chop wash your hands vey well.

"Look at your surrounding if anybody dey sneeze anyhow, you go move two meters away from di pesin. Wen you dey for public you need to dey sure of di pipo wey dey around you.

"Wear your nose masks, dis na wetin we dey teach Nigerians and make sure we abide wit rules of non-pharmaceutical measures. "

As tori don begin dey spread for social media about Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV), many kontris don begin dey put measures in place to protect dia citizens.

Di World Health Organization (WHO) and di Africa Centre for Disease Control neva issue alert on top di mata.

However, pipo don begin worry and dey try find out informate about di disease wit fear say make e no go be like di Covid virus wey affect di world.

Research show say HMPV na respiratory disease wey dey affect pipo of all ages, especially among young children, older adults, and pipo wey get weak immune systems.

Human Metapneumovirus fit lead to more serious complications like bronchitis or pneumonia, according to di US Centre for disease control.

Di disease dey di same family as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and e don dey around since at least 2001 wen dem first identify am for di Netherlands.

Na during winter and colder seasons e dey spread well-well and pipo dey catch am through direct contact wit pesin or surface wey dey infected wit di virus.

HMPV neva get any vaccine but di treatment dey similar to oda viral infections and e dey require proper health monitoring to mange di symptoms.

Why HMPV dey for news

According to plenty news tori wey BBC neva fit confam, cases of HMPV dey rise across northern China, particularly among children.

Dis outbreak dey come five years afta di coronavirus wey start for Wuhan, China, wey later turn global pandemic.

Fotos and videos of pipo wey dey wear mask for hospitals for China spread on social media platforms and local reports compare di scenes to wetin happun during di outbreak of Covid.

Local reports say health authorities dey implement new measures to monitor and manage di spread of pneumonia cases of di disease.

"Respiratory infections dey rise during di winter season," Chinese foreign ministry tok-tok pesin Mao Ning tok on Friday, The Guardian quote.

Symptoms and precautions of HMPV

Di symptoms for HMPV and oda respiratory viruses dey similar

Oda serious symptoms include:

How Human Metapneumovirus take dey spread?

Di virus dey spread di most wen pesin come in close contact wit pesin wey dey infected. You fit dey exposed to di virus if you:

Once Human Metapneumovirus enta your body, di incubation period – di time between exposure to di first signs of symptoms – na three to six days.

HMPV dey similar to Covid-19?

Both Human Metapneumovirus and Covid-19 na contagious respiratory illnesses and dem get similar symptoms, wey be runny nose, coughing, fever, congestion, sore throat, and shortness of breath.

Dem also dey spread di same ways too. For dia most serious forms, both fit lead to hospitalization.

But antiviral therapy or vaccine no dey to treat HMPV unlike Covid 19.

HMPV na seasonal virus, e dey appear only during winter and spring, unlike Covid-19, wey dey sometimes circulate all round di year as new variants dey appear.

Studies don show say cases of HMPV increase in three-fold for some kontris afta di Covid-19 pandemic.

Wen Covid-19 prevention measures bin dey in full effect, pipo bin dey less exposed to all types of respiratory illnesses. Afta dem relax dis measures, respiratory illnesses like HMPV begin show face.