Authorities in China said they are monitoring cases of human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, after a reported increase inside the country, according to Reuters. Although cases are increasing at a rapid rate,

Five years after the first cases of COVID-19, reports of hMPV, an obscure respiratory virus in China may understandably raise concerns.

While cases are climbing in China, the situation is very different from what it was when Covid-19 emerged five years ago, medical experts say. HMPV has circulated in humans for decades.