Tengrinews.kz - The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, has commented on the well-known metapneumovirus.
Tengrinews.kz - The head of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Ghebreyesus, has commented on the well-known metapneumovirus.
The words of the WHO chief were shared by Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Peter Szijjarto, who spoke with him over the phone.
"I had a phone consultation with my old good colleague and friend Tedros Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (...) My friend Tedros reassured me about the terrible news of the past few days and weeks and assured me that there is currently no threat of any global health emergency. The virus that has been widely discussed in the media is well-known to WHO experts and has appeared in a similar form several times, usually in the winter months," wrote Peter Szijjarto on Facebook.
What is known about the metapneumovirus
Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a virus that affects the respiratory tract and causes inflammation of the upper and lower lungs. The virus was first detected in the Netherlands in 2001, but according to some reports, it has been circulating among people since the 1950s.
Methopneumovirus outbreak in China
Earlier, an outbreak of human metapneumovirus was recorded in China. According to the Chinese Administration for Disease Control and Prevention, this virus has become the second most common after influenza, with both cases showing an increase in the number of cases compared to the previous week.
The Ministry of Healthcare commented on media reports about the spread of metapneumovirus (HMPV) worldwide. Later, the head of the National Center of Public Health Care, Ayzhan Esmagambetova, discussed whether Kazakhstan plans to impose quarantine due to the spread of metapneumovirus.