PlushCare / Online Doctor / Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV)
To treat your human metapneumovirus (hMPV), consult with one of our board-certified doctors online to learn to manage symptoms. This often includes OTC medication. Patients with severe symptoms may need a corticosteroid. Get a new prescription to treat hMPV or refill an existing prescription today.
Medication services available 24/7 for adults and kids (3+)
Top quality, board-certified doctors
No insurance needed
Same-day prescriptions available*
*Disclaimer: PlushCare doctors cannot treat all cases of human metapneumovirus (hMPV). Our primary care physicians can conduct an initial evaluation of your symptoms but may need to refer you to a specialist or for in-person treatment. If you are experiencing life-threatening symptoms, seek emergency medical attention immediately.
Most patients with in-network insurance pay $30 or less. Otherwise, new patient visits are $129, and follow-ups are only $69 for members.
Step 1
Book a same-day appointment from anywhere.
Step 2
Visit a doctor on your smartphone or computer.
Step 3
We can send prescriptions to any local pharmacy.
Step 1
Book a same-day appointment from anywhere.
Step 2
Visit a doctor on your smartphone or computer.
Step 3
We can send prescriptions to any local pharmacy.
How pricing works
To request human metapneumovirus (hMPV) treatment, join our monthly membership and get discounted visits. Treatment for hMPV is mainly supportive and the cost will vary depending on the therapeutic option you need.
$14.99/month
First month free
Copay
For all visits
Often the same as an office visit. Most patients with in-network insurance pay $30 or less!
$14.99/month
First month free
$129
Repeats only $69
Initial visits are $129 and follow-ups are only $69 for active members.
If we're unable to treat you, we'll provide a full refund.
hMPV (human metapneumovirus) is an upper and/or lower respiratory tract virus. It can affect the throat, mouth, and nose. This virus triggers a classic infection, like the common cold. Patients often develop it in winter or early spring, alongside the flu season. At least 4 lineages of hMPV exist: A1, A2, B1, and B2.
This virus is a common trigger for respiratory tract infections in the elderly, adults, children, and immunocompromised patients. Overall, this is not a serious illness. Most people have a couple of symptoms, which tend to dissipate on their own. Lower respiratory tract infections due to hMPV can lead to worsening acute asthma symptoms, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia.
This disease spreads from an infected person through close contact. It spreads through respiratory droplets with an incubation period of around 3 to 6 days. It quickly spreads into the respiratory tract.
hMPV is most commonly recorded in pediatric patients. It can occur in children younger than 2 years. Around 90% to 100% of children are infected by hMPV by the time they turn 5 to 10 years old.
Roughly 5% to 10% of pediatric hospitalizations occur due to hMPV triggering acute lower respiratory infections. In fact, children who are younger than 6 months and have hMPV were 3 times as likely to be hospitalized compared to patients between the ages of 6 months to 5 years.
The gold standard for treating is supportive medicine, which includes hydration with IV fluids, antipyretic agents, and supplemental oxygen. Severe hMPV infection has been linked to premature birth including heart disorders, pulmonary, and immunocompromised status.
Moderna has started a clinical trial against the virus. As of 2019, the vaccine passed the first phase for being well-tolerated. However, more research is necessary to study the impact of this vaccine.
When an infected person speaks, coughs, sneezes, or breathes, they can release aerosols and respiratory droplets into the air. These droplets can fall on all kinds of surfaces. You can get infected by touching a contaminated surface, such as a table, bed, door, or other surface. The virus can also be transmitted through direct contact with the infected individual, such as through shaking hands or kissing. A respiratory virus can live on surfaces for a couple of hours.
To manage the symptoms of HMPV, patients can use:
Medicine like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) can help control fever and pain. They are a viable choice for curbing cold-like symptoms.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) can ease the pain and the fever. It is an analgesic drug used alone or alongside other medicines as an antipyretic agent.
For patients struggling with mild symptoms, like sinus pressure, pseudoephedrine can help. It can relieve nasal congestion.
As hMPV can lead to severe pneumonia in immunocompromised patients, doctors can suggest ribavirin treatment. Ribavirin is administered through oral inhalation, which means patients need to breathe in the medicine as a fine mist.
If the patient is dehydrated and can’t handle oral hydration, doctors can administer IV fluid hydration.
In severe hMPV cases, patients might need supplemental oxygen support, administered through mechanical ventilation or a high flow nasal cannula. This is reserved for cases with acute respiratory failure.
There is no vaccine that can prevent hMPV or a particular antiviral therapy to cure hMPV. However, there are a few options you can try to avoid the spread of this disease and other respiratory diseases:
If you do have cold-like symptoms, avoid kissing people, as you can transmit the illness. When you cough or sneeze, put your hand on the nose and mouth. The human metapneumovirus infection spreads through respiratory droplets, so covering the nose and mouth should remain a top priority for avoiding respiratory secretions.
If there is someone carrying the pathogen, don’t share your eating utensils and cups with them. Try to avoid spending time in close proximity to people and stay at home until the symptoms subside. Don’t forget to give your house a thorough clean and wash contaminated surfaces such as toys and doorknobs.
hMPV infections tend to cause mild symptoms. Therefore, most patients don’t need to contact a specialist. Supportive care should be enough to mitigate the fever and pain. It should go away in 7 to 10 days. However, if the symptoms worsen and people start to experience difficulty breathing, severe wheezing, or severe cough, book an appointment with a healthcare provider.
To diagnose hMPV, your doctor will do a full patient and physical history. They might suggest lab tests to find which virus caused the respiratory infection. In rare hospitalized patients, a healthcare expert might do a bronchoscopy. This involves inserting a flexible, small camera into the lungs and taking a sample of fluid to evaluate which virus is causing problems.
hMPV infections are often associated with acute respiratory illness (ARI) in both adults and children. The spectrum of disease in younger patients tends to vary from mild upper respiratory tract infection to lower respiratory tract infection. It can present itself as pneumonia, croup, or bronchiolitis. hMPV presents with similar symptoms to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Severe respiratory viruses such as these do require extra medical care. Learn more about some of the conditions with similar symptoms to hMPV:
Supportive care is the most practical method for treating hMPV. Because this illness tends to clear up on its own, a healthcare provider can help ease the symptoms. That means using OTC medication for controlling fever and pain or relying on decongestants for reducing sinus pressure.
You can also use a room humidifier or hot showers to ease the coughing and sore throat. Treatment to relieve the cold-like symptoms includes drinking a lot of fluids to avoid dehydration. While the body heals, people are advised to stay at home and rest. Doctors might recommend hydration with IV fluids, supplemental oxygen, and antipyretic agents.
A general consultation is an affordable method for managing the symptoms and reassessing the patient’s potential risk factors. A consultation can help patients find the right treatment. It is a proactive approach to the management of hMPV.
Human metapneumovirus creates symptoms quite like the common cold. If you have hMPV, you might develop these symptoms:
A case of hMPV could cause severe illness. Clinical symptoms for severe infections could progress to pneumonia, bronchitis, and bronchiolitis. hMPV has an average incubation period of 3 to 6 days. The duration of the illness can vary based on how severe the symptoms are. However, it usually lasts as long as other respiratory infections triggered by viruses.
The human metapneumovirus infection is a seasonal disease and a classic respiratory virus. This pathogen causes lower and/or upper respiratory tract infections. It often leads to mild symptoms such as a blocked or stuffy nose, fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
Respiratory illnesses like these can most likely spread from close contact or direct contact with respiratory secretions of someone’s hMPV infection. You can also get it from touching contaminated surfaces with these secretions.
Most patients can recover in around 7 to 10 days. It is not uncommon for the symptoms to subside in 2 to 5 days. But, for someone with lung disease, asthma, or a weak immune system, it can take longer than that.
This virus has an incubation period of 3-6 days, and it can be shed from 5-14 days after inoculation. The exact time of contagiousness is unknown. However, an infected adult who doesn’t have any symptoms could still transmit the virus. Experts are still working on a vaccine that could be a promising option for future clinical trials.
Around 5% to 16% of children can experience a lower respiratory tract infection, like pneumonia. Mild pneumonia can be treated with antibiotic medication and rest. Patients also need to drink a lot of fluid to keep their bodies hydrated. If the symptoms are severe, then patients might need to go to the hospital.
