Egypt’s Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Minister of Health and Population, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, presented an overview of the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) during a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.
At the beginning of his presentation, the Health Minister explained a number of facts about the HMPV virus, noting that the disease has been known since 2001.
Abdel Ghaffar stated that HMPV causes respiratory infections and is commonly spread during the winter and spring seasons. The incubation period for the virus ranges from three to six days, and symptoms can last from one to three weeks.
The virus is mainly spread through droplets released when coughing or sneezing, he explained as well as by touching surfaces contaminated with the virus and then touching the mouth, nose, or eyes.
He explained that the most vulnerable groups are people with weakened immune systems, children, and the elderly.
Abdel Ghaffar added that the most common symptoms among those infected with the virus include cough, nasal congestion, itching, fever, sneezing, a sore throat and difficulty breathing in severe cases.
He confirmed that the virus has been tested within the influenza and respiratory diseases surveillance system since 2023, and reviewed the system’s mechanisms and its monitoring sites.
The Deputy Prime Minister also presented a distribution of positive cases of HMPV for patients admitted to monitoring sites across Egypt from July 2023 to December 31, 2024.
He noted that during 2024, the percentage of HMPV ranged between two percent and four percent of respiratory viruses.
There has been no increase in the number of reported cases of acute respiratory diseases during 2024 compared to the previous year, he added, and that the noticeable increase since the end of September 2024 until now occurs annually in the fall and winter seasons.
