China: New virus outbreak could spread globally

An expert has warned that the new virus currently spreading in China could reach “other parts of the world.”

The human metapneumovirus (HMPV), which has seen a recent surge in cases across China, has prompted the country’s Centers for Disease Control to call for additional measures to curb its spread.

This respiratory illness, which shares symptoms with the flu, has the potential to cause a global pandemic similar to the coronavirus.

Sanjaya Senanayake, an infectious disease specialist at the Australian National University’s School of Medicine and Psychology, cautioned that the virus could spread to other regions.

He told express.co.uk: “It does cause a problem, and it is quite likely, as China is seeing a lot of it, that with all the global travel that we see, particularly at this time of year, it may be taken to other parts of the world.”

@RalphHightower: Trump has also vowed to pull out from the World Health Organization (WHO), which means that the United States won’t receive notifications of disease outbreaks in other parts of the world.