Five years after the emergence of COVID-19 concerns about the spread of a new virus are rising following the surge of infections in China due to the human metapneumovirus (HMPV). Breathless patients, hospitals overflowing with people ... the widely shared images on social media of individuals suffering from respiratory complications because of this virus have sparked fears of a repeat of the grim 2020 scenario, when a global health emergency was declared due to the coronavirus. Could the metapneumovirus turn into a pandemic? What do we know about it and how concerned should we be?A 'rarely fatal virus, except for vulnerable individuals'HMPV is a respiratory virus first identified in 2001, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the leading public health agency in the United States. It can be transmitted...