Experts have revealed the key differences between the winter viruses spreading across the UK – to help decipher if your bug is flu, a cold or the new potential threat to the NHS, human metapneumovirus (hMPV).
As flu continues to reach crisis point, triggering ‘critical incidents’ at at least a dozen hospitals across the country, experts have raised the alarm about rising levels of hMPV.
The virus is said to be responsible for images of swamped hospital waiting rooms in China, in scenes that are eerily similar to the early days of Covid.
Experts have called on the Chinese authorities to disclose further information about the strain of the bug so UK health chiefs can assess the level of threat to Brits.
However, scientists are almost certain that symptoms of hMPV will be very mild for most, resembling a cold.
Flu, on the other hand, tends to be more severe – with a relatively specific trajectory of illness.
However, certain vulnerable groups – the elderly, immunocompromised and young children, for instance – may not have an easy time with hMPV. And the resulting complications differ from that of flu.
So what are the tell-tale signs of both infections? And how can you tell them apart?
Scenes of hospitals overrun with people in face masks have made their rounds on social media. Pictured, A baby wearing a face mask waits with family members at the pediatric department of a hospital in Hangzhou, eastern China on January 6
hMPV
In the vast majority of cases, hMPV’s main symptoms are very similar to a common cold: coughing, blocked or runny nose, sore throat and slight fever.
As with other viruses, these are caused by the body’s immune system trying to fight it off.
However, some may also experience nausea and vomiting.
More severe symptoms such as bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia, which usually affect those with compromised immune systems, can occur, with sufferers experiencing a shortness of breath, severe cough or wheezing.
Professor John Tregoning, an expert in vaccine immunology at Imperial College London, said when hMPV infects children it looks similar to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common winter bug that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms.
‘It is part of the cocktail of winter viruses that we are exposed to and, like other viruses, it will transmit in coughs, sneezes and in droplets,’ he said.
Similar to the advice related to Covid and RSV, those infected must ‘rest, stay hydrated and try not to spread it to others’, he added.
Often patients aren’t tested for hMPV unless in hospital, where doctors might need to clarify what is causing your symptoms.
This is done via rapid antigen tests — where a nasal swab is examined — or a PCR test, which looks for traces of genetic material from the virus in nasal swabs.
Experts have cautioned that hMPV, which produces flu-like symptoms, can lurk in the body for days and so it can be easily passed on to others
The surge in hPMV in the UK is mostly affecting young children — who are among the most vulnerable to serious complications, official data suggests.
Virus monitoring data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that one in 10 children tested for respiratory infections in hospital were positive for hMPV as of December 23.
This is more than double the proportion of very young children that tested positive for hMPV in late November.
However, experts have repeatedly warned that case numbers are what is expected for this time of year.
Dr Conall Watson, a consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said: ‘Our surveillance systems in GP surgeries and hospitals indicate that levels are in line with what we would expect to see.
‘Most people have had hMPV by the time they are five years old and catch it again throughout their lives.
‘Babies, older adults and people with weakened immune systems are more vulnerable to more severe episodes.
‘As with all respiratory viruses, you can help reduce infections being passed on through regular handwashing and catching coughs and sneezes in tissues and throwing them away.’
He added: ‘If you have symptoms such as a high temperature, cough and feeling tired and achy, try to limit your contact with others, especially those who are vulnerable.
‘There are many viruses in circulation at the moment, including flu — if you have symptoms of a respiratory illness and you need to go out, our advice continues to be that you should consider wearing a face mask.’
Pictured, an adult and child waiting to be seen by medical staff at the pediatric department of a hospital in Hangzhou, eastern China on January 6
Graphic shows the common symptoms (green tick), occasional and possible symptoms (orange circle) and the symptoms that never occur (red cross) with the common cold, flu and Covid
Flu
Triggered by influenza viruses, the illness usually causes people to have a cough – which is the most common crossover seasonal virus symptom.
But signs of the flu are typically much more intense than colds and can even cause stomach issues.
It can prove fatal in some cases if complications, such as pneumonia, arise among the most vulnerable.
Professor Ron Eccles, who ran the Common Cold Centre at Cardiff University before retiring from the university in 2017, told MailOnline: ‘Flu typically causes chills, a fever, headaches, muscle aches and pains.
‘The flu feels worse because the symptoms affect the whole body and are not restricted to the upper airways.’
He added: ‘Gastrointestinal symptoms like vomiting and diarrhoea are also more prevalent in influenza cases.’
Britain is currently battling its own tidal wave of flu. Surveillance programmes that monitor England’s outbreak suggest flu hospital admissions are quadruple that of a month ago.
Latest NHS data, which covers the week up to December 29, shows 4,500 beds were taken up by flu patients every day, also up 3.5 times on the same week last year.
Of these, 211 were in critical care — up 69 per cent on the previous week.
More than 4,100 Brits also spent Christmas Day in hospital with the flu. By December 29, this had risen to over 5,000.
The virus is one of the ‘quademic’ of winter viruses heaping pressure on NHS services alongside noroviruses, RSV and Covid.
Just like treating a cold, rest and fluids are often recommended to help people suffering the flu. Over-the-counter medications also help.
Dr Winn said: ‘Acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help with headaches, muscle aches, and fever. Guaifenesin can loosen mucus to clear your airways.
‘An antihistamine such as chlorpheniramine can stop a runny nose. And if you are coughing, look for products with dextromethorphan.
‘With either the flu or a cold, consider visiting a doctor if your symptoms persist for over a week or if you have a high temperature, difficulty breathing, or other signs of infection.’
Cold
Rhinoviruses are the most common cause of a cold, but a minor infection of the nose and throat can be caused by one of more than 200 different viruses.
If symptoms are mostly restricted to the upper airways, it is likely to be a cold.
‘Cold symptoms are more of a head cold with runny nose, sneezing, sore throat and blocked nose’, Professor Eccles said.
Cold weather alone does not cause a cold. But the body is more susceptible to infection when the immune system is weaker.
London-based GP Dr Ann Nainan told MailOnline: ‘Colds usually develop gradually and can cause cough, congestion and fatigue. They creep up on you with stuff like a runny nose or a sore throat.’
The illness tends to be ‘a nuisance’, as opposed to the flu, which ‘can knock you off your feet and keep you in bed’, she added.
This overlap in symptoms, however, can make clinical diagnoses challenging.
There is no cure for the common cold, but there are a few ways of soothing the symptoms.
Getting plenty of rest, drinking lots of fluids, breathing in steam to ease your blocked nose and drinking hot lemon and honey to soothe a sore throat are all simple ways to treat a cold.
