Patients who’ve been struck down by virus ravaging China describe horrific symptoms: ‘Worst I’ve ever felt’

Patients who have been sickened by a little-known virus causing fears in China have described some of the horrific symptoms they endured.

Diane Davison, 60, a lawyer from Maryland, was hit by human metapneumovirus (HPMV) in April 2023 and was left ‘unable to speak’ due to ‘violent’ coughing fits.

She initially thought it could be Covid or the flu because many of the symptoms overlap, such as a fever, cough, nasal congestion, and sore throat.

After six negative Covid tests, Ms Davison, who is immunocompromised, knew something was wrong. Of all the respiratory infections she’d had in her lifetime, this was ‘the worst I’ve ever experienced’, she said.

Detailing her ordeal, she said: ‘I couldn’t get out more than a couple of words. I would go into violent, violent coughing to the point where I was literally almost throwing up.’

Following further tests and swaps of her nose and throat, doctors discovered the lawyer actually had HMPV. Ms Davison said: ‘I was like, ‘What?’ Because it sounds really dire.’

HMPV, which some doctors describe as ‘the most important virus you’ve never heard of’, has been blamed for a viral outbreak in China that is reportedly overwhelming hospitals in the country’s northern provinces.

Beijing has downplayed footage of overcrowded waiting rooms and wards posted on social media, saying respiratory infections are ‘less severe’ and ‘smaller in scale’ compared to last year.

But some fear there are similarities with the current situation and the Covid outbreak in 2019, which was initially played down by China.

Dr John Williams, a pediatrician at the University of Pittsburgh who has spent his career researching vaccines and treatments for HMPV says the pathogen is one of viruses most likely to hospitalize people and even kill children and vulnerable people as there are no vaccines or drugs to treat it.

HMPV is similar to other seasonal viruses like RSV which cause symptoms of the common cold. HMPV is thought to account for about 1 in 10 respiratory illnesses in children.

Though most cases are mild, some patients can develop a lower respiratory tract infection like pneumonia or, like in Ms Davison’s case, bronchitis, inflammation of the bronchial tubes in the lungs, leading to a cough and other symptoms

Ms Davison was sick for around a month and then got better, but she has urged others not to dismiss the infection as mild.

American TikTok creator @alymoreno32 claimed in one of her clips that her baby was hit by HMPV in March 2024.

She said his condition quickly deteriorated and he was rushed back to hospital after he couldn’t breath.

The mom-of-three wrote in the comment section: ‘He sounded so bad. [He] wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t move.’

HMPV was first identified in 2001 and infects thousands of Americans every year. According to the latest CDC data, just under 300 positive test results reported during the last week of December, the latest figures available, which is normal for this time of year.

The CDC says it is ‘monitoring’ the cases in China but believe they are ‘not currently a cause for concern in the US.’

Around 20,000 children under five in the US are hospitalized with HMPV every year and a few hundred of those die from the illness.

The US CDC said it is ‘monitoring’ the cases in China but believe they are ‘not currently a cause for concern in the US’.