Case Numbers for ‘Deadly’ Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) Increase in NSW, Australia

Former deputy chief medical officer Dr. Nick Coatsworth says the spike may be seasonal.

A health worker preparing to take swab samples from residents at a COVID-19 drive-through testing site in western Sydney on Aug. 4, 2021. Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) weekly case numbers surged in New South Wales (NSW) from 648 at the beginning of the month to 1,168 in the week ending Sept. 17, according to a NSW report (pdf). 

Data in the NSW Respiratory Surveillance Report gathered from the NSW sentinel laboratory network found that positive tests could continue to increase.