Just when we were starting to see COVID and RSV rates drop this spring, another type of virus contributed to a spike in respiratory infections

• Human metapneumovirus spiked this spring as cases of COVID and RSV fell.
• According to the CDC, 19.6% of antigen tests and nearly 11% of PCR tests for HMPV were positive in the US in early March.

Cases of another type of respiratory virus spiked this spring, just as COVID-19 and RSV rates were finally falling in the US.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19.6% of antigen tests and nearly 11% of PCR tests for human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, were positive in the US in early March.

The nearly 11% of positive PCR cases is up 36% since before the COVID-19 pandemic when PCR tests for HMPV were coming back with a rate of 7% positivity, per CDC.

In contrast, COVID-19 cases were down nearly 30% at the beginning of March, according to the World Health Organization, and the number of people being hospitalized for RSV was down to 1.2 people per 100,000 in March from 4.5 people per 100,000 in January, according to CDC data.

Virus experts say this illness pattern looks a little more like the seasonality they typically saw in the US pre-pandemic, when RSV cases would spike first in the fall, then influenza would surge, and later in the season parainfluenzas and human metapneumovirus would circulate, into the spring.

"They would come in waves," Dr. Pedro Piedra, a professor of molecular virology and respiratory virus expert at Baylor College of Medicine, previously told Insider. "These viruses, whether they be influenza, or RSV, or human metapneumovirus, can have a significant consequence on our health."

How to treat an HMPV infection

Symptoms of HMPV mimic other viruses, and include a cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath. The infection can also progress into bronchitis, pneumonia, or other illnesses that cause upper and lower respiratory distress.

Some people with HMPV might get sick for longer than others, depending on the severity of their illness. Most people with respiratory infections caused by viruses like HMPV are sick for about a week to two weeks.

At home, you can treat symptoms of HMPV like you would other mild viral illnesses. Fever, aches and pains can be soothed with over the counter medications like Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen) as well as decongestant drugs. There's no vaccine for HMPV, nor is there an antiviral drug like Paxlovid or Tamiflu developed to treat it. Stay hydrated, and get lots of rest.

HMPV is spread by coughs and sneezes, close personal contact, and touching surfaces infected with the virus, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.