Doctors have sounded the alarm over a killer virus that most people have never heard of - but it has similar symptoms to Covid and the flu.
Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a virus can cause cough, a runny nose or nasal congestion - and is on the rise.
Studies have shown that over the last four years HMPV was just as common as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and flu in pensioners in hospital.
READ MORE: Ireland weather: Met Eireann long-range forecast shows news we’ve been waiting for amid 25C scorcher
HMPV, which can cause killer pneumonia, and it was the second most common cause of respiratory infections in kids behind RSV in the last 25 years.
Dr John Williams, a paediatrician at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, fears that people are not aware of this fatal virus.
He said: "It's the most important virus you've never heard of.
"Those are the three major viruses. Those are the big three in kids and adults, the most likely to put people in the hospital and cause severe disease, most likely to sweep through nursing homes and make older people really sick and even kill them."
Worryingly, most people who catch HMPV have no idea as testing outside of hospitals is rare.
Symptoms of the virus include a runny nose, sore throat, cough and wheezing.
More severely, it can cause wheezing, difficulty breathing, hoarseness, cough, pneumonia; and in adults, aggravation of asthma, also has been reported.
Most people recover within about seven to 10 days.
However, people with weakened immune systems, asthma, or respiratory conditions may develop serious illness, such as bronchitis or pneumonia.
READ NEXT:
- Sit-in drama at GSOC HQ as Garda representative boss refuses to leave until demand is met
- Ireland ice cream nightmare as crumbling Flakes in 99's 'ruining people's day'
- Inside Ryan Tubridy's afterparty as he has low key drinks in secret Late Late Show green room bash
- Study exposes dark reality of domestic violence in Ireland as brave families' testimonies praised
- Body found in Clare as gardai confirm search for man missing 11 days stood down
Get news updates direct to your inbox by signing up to our daily newsletter here
