Children's Hospitalizations Double as HMPV Peaks
A quiet surge of human metapneumovirus sends more children to hospitals across the U.S., though experts say the seasonal virus poses limited risk to most people.
As spring arrives, a quiet surge of human metapneumovirus sweeps across the U.S., sending more children to hospitals while most healthy adults weather nothing worse than a lingering cough. CDC data shows HMPV accounted for 5.37 percent of positive respiratory virus tests nationwide as of March 7. That figure represents a rise from 3.82 percent at the same time last year, though it remains below the 7.43 percent peak recorded in April 2025.
Wastewater surveillance reveals the virus circulating widely, with real-time community data showing elevated concentrations across California, the Midwest and Northeast in early March. Dr. Alexandria Boehm, a Stanford University professor and principal investigator for WastewaterSCAN, said nationally we are continuing to see elevated levels of HMPV with concentrations higher than at this time last year. The data indicates transmission is now declining as the respiratory season wanes.
Young children face a dramatic spike in hospitalizations. A Truveta study published on MedRxiv shows HMPV-associated hospitalizations in children ages 0-4 more than doubled in February, climbing 111.7 percent. Still, this surge accounts for only a small fraction of total respiratory hospitalizations, with RSV remaining the dominant cause of pediatric admissions.
Public health experts frame HMPV as a routine, predictable seasonal virus rather than an emergency. Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said HMPV cases increase every year and it is a routine seasonal respiratory virus. He noted infection is ubiquitous in childhood and the vast majority of people have no issue with HMPV infection.
The virus causes symptoms indistinguishable from influenza or common colds, leading to frequent misidentification. Dr. Sharon Nachman, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at Stony Brook Children's Hospital, addressed this confusion directly. When patients say they have the flu in March or April, she tells them they may look like they have the flu and act like they have the flu, but they have human metapneumovirus.
Physicians rarely test specifically for HMPV since no targeted treatment exists and most cases resolve on their own. Nachman explained there's not really a rush to diagnose it. Her message to patients remains simple: rest, chicken soup, and tea with honey.
Regional data reveals variability without triggering alarms. Wisconsin reported a 7 percent positivity rate in early March, down from 8 percent the previous week. Georgia's positivity reached 6.4 percent for the week ending March 7, compared with 3 percent at the same time in 2025. Officials in both states emphasized the increase does not warrant concern.
Ryan Wozniak, supervisor of the Wisconsin Bureau of Communicable Diseases, framed the increase as a reminder rather than a cause for concern. He said the recent increase reminds us we are still in respiratory season and Wisconsinites should continue to use prevention strategies to protect themselves against respiratory disease.
Experts trace current severity patterns to pandemic-era isolation measures that disrupted natural immunity. Dr. Jessica August, chief of infectious diseases at Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa, noted Americans regularly encountered seasonal viruses like HMPV before the pandemic hit in 2020 and developed a degree of natural immunity. That protection waned during the pandemic as people stayed home or kept their distance from others.
August observed this immunity gap produced record-breaking childhood viral illnesses after restrictions lifted, creating longer viral seasons and more severe presentations. The pattern reflects consequences of lockdown policies rather than public health infrastructure failure.
HMPV first emerged in 2001, though the virus has likely circulated in human populations for decades. Dr. Alexandra Gorab, a pediatrician with Rady Children's Health, describes it as a common seasonal respiratory virus affecting upper airways and lungs. She noted it has been circulating in our communities for more than 20 years—it's just getting more media attention right now.
Experts say the absence of a vaccine or antiviral treatment reflects rational resource allocation rather than negligence. Most states impose no mandatory reporting requirements, so Americans navigate HMPV through personal responsibility and common-sense hygiene instead of government mandates. The system functions as designed, treating HMPV as a manageable seasonal nuisance rather than a crisis requiring centralized intervention.