The Federal Government on Sunday said it would contain the spread of HMPV by activating surveillance measures for inbound passengers from China following the current surge of the respiratory virus.
Reports indicate that the virus has led to overcrowded hospitals, emergency measures and public concerns in China.
The virus, attributed to the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV), has seen cases spiking across northern Chinese provinces this winter, particularly among children. Neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, Taiwan, and Hong Kong are closely monitoring the HMPV situation, having reported a few cases but no widespread outbreaks, according to reports.
According to Chinese authorities, there has been a noticeable increase in HMPV cases, especially among children under 14 years old in northern parts of the country. Social media posts, accompanied by videos of overcrowded hospitals, have sparked fears of a larger-scale health crisis.
The new virus outbreak is coming five years after the emergence of a novel coronavirus – COVID-19 – in Wuhan, China, which was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation on March 11, 2020.
However, while both HMPV and COVID-19 are respiratory illnesses, there are important differences. HMPV typically causes milder symptoms such as a cold or flu, while COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, can lead to more severe health complications and long-term effects.
Meanwhile, health authorities in Nigeria are already implementing emergency measures to monitor and manage the spread of the HMPV.
The Director, Special Duties, Office of the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr John Oladejo, told The PUNCH on Sunday that the Federal Government would implement preventive measures by activating surveillance measures to curb the spread of the virus.
Meanwhile, medical experts have stated that implementing surveillance measures against the virus was a crucial and appropriate step in ensuring that it doesn’t spread to the country.
They emphasised that surveillance should be an ongoing process carried out continuously by the government.
A virologist at the Department of Virology, College of Medicine, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Dr Moses Adewumi said, “On good day, surveillance should always be part of us. What happens most times is that despite the amount that was voted for COVID-19, we seem to have relaxed. Our people are more interested in spending the money, and after that, we probably decide to go to sleep. So, the surveillance should be a continuous thing.
“It is good that we increase our surveillance for people coming into the country, especially from China, Japan and other places, where we have the outbreaks. The government should be more involved in surveillance because most of the surveillance and all the research we do is funded by foreign bodies, so our own government should be more interested in research, in surveillance for all these viruses.
“The virus is not new but the surge may be because there is a different variant, and that is why we need to increase our surveillance and monitor it closely to curtail its introduction into the country. Experience has taught us that if we check now, we may have our people with antibodies already, and that’s a confirmation that it’s likely that this is circulating here, maybe not the exact variants that they have now.”
Also, an Associate Professor of Infectious Diseases and Genomics in the Department of Microbiology at the Adeleke University, Osun State, Oladipo Kolawole, noted that the decision by the government to implement surveillance measures was a good one, adding that it aimed to monitor and control the potential spread of the virus, ensuring public health safety as the situation developed.
Kolawole said, “The government is likely to enhance screening processes at points of entry and provide guidelines for travellers from China, this is to mitigate risks associated with HMPV. Activating surveillance allows for the early detection of cases, which is essential in managing outbreaks effectively. Monitoring travellers from regions experiencing outbreaks can help identify and isolate cases before they spread within the community.
“Also, quarantine for inbound passengers from the affected regions can significantly reduce the risk of transmission. It serves as a precautionary measure to ensure that individuals who may be infected do not unknowingly spread the virus to others. Finally, this situation underscores the importance of preparedness in public health systems.”
