Jamaica has no cases of HMPV, says MOHW
Published:Wednesday | January 8, 2025 | 12:10 AM
While the Ministry of Health & Wellness (MOHW) has declared that there is no case of the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) locally, Dr Leslie Meade, the president of the Medical Association of Jamaica (MAJ), said it may be too soon to make that call.
Meade spoke to The Gleaner on Monday after the health ministry advised of a seasonal increase in respiratory illnesses but reassured the public that HMPV, a virus that has caused concern internationally, has not been detected in Jamaica.
The virus, which emerged in China in December, caused a surge in respiratory infections, especially among children, leading to overcrowded hospitals. It spread to other countries, including India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
“Jamaica is currently experiencing the rise in respiratory illnesses normally seen at this time of the year,” the health ministry said yesterday. “Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic strain 2009 is the predominant strain (256 cases in 2024) in circulation in Jamaica. Followed by Influenza A (H3N2) (62 cases in 2024) and a few cases of Influenza B (5 cases in 2024). No case of Avian Influenza A (H5N1) was detected in Jamaica in 2024,” the statement added.
DECREASE IN CASES
Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie explained that there was high respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity in October (102 cases) to November (122 cases) 2024. However, this decreased in December 2024 to seven cases.
“COVID-19 cases remain at low levels at an average of four cases per week for the last three months of 2024,” she said.
“We are now in the influenza season, when an increase in influenza cases is expected. However, the figures are in keeping with what is expected at this time of year. Based on routine surveillance reports, at the end of 2024, weekly Severe Acute Respiratory Illnesses and Influenza-Like Illnesses visits were below alert and epidemic thresholds,” added the CMO.
Yesterday, Meade explained that respiratory illness patients are not typically tested for specific viruses unless hospitalised.
“The symptoms of HMPV are the same like lots of other respiratory illnesses, and we have had an increase in respiratory illnesses in the last two months or so, which is borne out in data coming from the Ministry of Health,” he said.
“We tend not to test for HMPV in Jamaica, and I’m not aware that the tests are here and available,” he added.
The MAJ president continued: “ ... We typically would treat most of these upper respiratory symptoms very similarly. The issue is that just like those viruses and COVID, our young and elderly are at most risk for severe diseases, which include HMPV, pneumonia and bronchitis. Especially with the pneumonia, we find that they progress to need hospitalisation and antibiotics.
“So we have to safeguard those patients and ensure that they are protected from being infected. We are not sure where it will go, and there are no vaccines or special antiviral to treat it (HMPV).”
Meade listed common symptoms of respiratory illnesses as fever, coughing and dehydration.
The health ministry said it will continue to monitor the situation in the hospitals and is urging persons visiting health facilities to wear masks to prevent the spread of respiratory infections.
The HMPV outbreak in China comes five years after the world was first alerted to the emergence of a novel coronavirus in Wuhan, which later turned into a pandemic with over seven million deaths reported.