Dr Andrew Catchpole, chief scientific officer at challenge trial and laboratory services company hVIVO, said rates of serious hMPV “may be higher in China than what we would expect in a normal year”. More information is needed to understand whether the circulating strain was different from previous ones he said, but there is no need to panic.

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) cases are surging in China where scenes show packed hospital waiting rooms with data showing the deadly virus is already rising in the UK

As cases of the HMPV virus continue to increase in the U.S. and in China, here's what you need to know about the virus.