US EditionNorCal Hit Hard With Little-Known Respiratory Virus
Wastewater data show rising human metapneumovirus levels in Northern California, with peak test positivity reaching 11.7% in 2024, posing risks for vulnerable populations.
- This year, Stanford University's WastewaterSCAN shows rising human metapneumovirus levels across Northern California, including Sacramento, San Francisco, Santa Rosa, Davis, Napa, Marin, Vallejo, and Novato, with sharp increases since January 1.
- Amid waning immunity after the pandemic, public-health specialists note HMPV typically peaks in March–April and there is no vaccine or specific antiviral, CDC guidance shows.
- Clinicians note HMPV causes cough, fever, nasal congestion and shortness of breath, while infants, older adults and people living with immune disorders face higher risk of bronchitis or pneumonia.
- In other states, WastewaterSCAN detected HMPV in Stamford, Connecticut, and at the Chester Delcora treatment plant, Delaware County, and University Park Water Reclamation Plant, Centre County, while public-health laboratories say monitoring helps guide responses but there is no need to sound the alarm.
- So far this year the highest test positivity was 6.1% on Feb. 21, lower than the 11.7% peak recorded at the end of March 2025, according to NREVSS.
9 Articles
9 Articles
Hartford Courant
A virus without a vaccine or treatment is hitting California. What you need to know
LOS ANGELES — A respiratory virus that doesn’t have a vaccine or a specific treatment regimen is spreading in some parts of California — but there’s no need to sound the alarm just yet, public health officials say. A majority of Northern California communities have seen high concentrations of human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, detected in their wastewater, according to data from the ...
It reached a national positivity rate of 6.1% in February, with notable increases in wastewater from communities in the north of the state, although the risk for the general population remains low. A respiratory virus for which there is no vaccine or specific treatment presented a rebound in several communities in northern California, reaching a maximum national positivity rate of 6.1% reported on February 21. It is the human metapneumovirus (HM…
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