Doctor reveals test to see if you have HMPV as NHS asks Brits to stay away from others if they notice symptoms

Amid all the chatter surrounding the spike in HMPV cases, conversation online has now turned to how doctors test for it.

And as a lot of people are still traumatised from our lateral flow days circa 2020, they seem keen to get acquainted with exactly what goes down.

Dr Zachary Rubin, better known online as @rubin_allergy, offered some expert insight into how healthcare professionals confirm whether a patient has the respiratory infection or not.

It can be quite difficult to determine whether you have human metapneumovirus (HMPV) or just the usual bout of flu, as the symptoms are so similar.

Most of us would be fine if we contracted the seasonal illness, which can bring on a cough, fever and nasal issues - which is a good job, as there is no specific treatment for it.

However, it can be severe for people who have lung conditions, are immune compromised, the elderly and young children, with the potential for it to lead to bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia.

So, doing your bit to stop the spread of HMPV should be high on your list of priorities, even if you don't fall into one of those categories.

Dr Conall Watson, consultant epidemiologist at the UK Health Security Agency, told Surrey Live: "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."

If you do think you may have contracted the illness, don't worry about the scenario of heading to your GP and getting it confirmed.

How does a HMPV test work?

Dr Rubin stitched a video on TikTok which had shared by a creator who claimed they found the HMPV test 'worse' than the Covid-19 swabs.

"I want to clarify some misconceptions regarding HMPV," the allergist and immunologist told his 1.4 million followers.

"It sounds scary and you may have heard about it on the news recently, because in China there were a lot of cases of this virus and some media outlets were trying to say this was the next Covid-19...but it is far from that.

"The virus has been around for over 20 years, we have known a lot about it.

"It causes similar symptoms to influenza, it is an upper respiratory virus that is spread through respiratory droplets and you test it just like RSV, influenza and Covid-19... through a nasal swab."

So, unlike the social media user had initially suggested, the HMPV test isn't 'worse' than the coronavirus one... as it's pretty much the same.

Dr Rubin added: "[The swab] is not placed anywhere else on your body and, in fact, for many years we have had tests available where we can actually test for multiple viruses at the same time, including human metapneumovirus."

I guess you really shouldn't believe everything you see on the internet then, eh?

Social media users collectively breathed a sigh of relief after seeing Dr Rubin's video, with many taking to the comment section to thank him for offering some reassurance.

One wrote: "You do not know how much weight you just took off my shoulders."

Another said: "I think people may just be surprised with how far the nasal swab in the doctor's office goes back. No big deal! But when I had it done it was a bit startling at first."

A third added: "The worst thing about nasal swabs is that usually you're feeling like garbage already and that swab is just so uncomfortably painful."

A fourth commented: "It's a bit spicy, but very quick and great for finding out if you have a virus or not."

While a fifth chimed in suggesting that the content creator was confusing the HMPV test with the test for HPV, to which Dr Rubin simply replied: "Yep."

For those who aren't aware, the test for human papillomavirus (HPV) for women is quite invasive, as it involves taking a small sample of cells from the cervix.

There is currently no approved screening test for men who suspect they might have HPV.

The North Bristol NHS Trust explain that a molecular assay (NAAT) is a test which can diagnose HMPV, which involves taking a swab of a patients nose and throat.

It states that other tests which are conducted on the sample include 'influenza A and B, RSV, human metapneumovirus, adenovirus, parainfluenza viruses 1,2,3,4 Rhinovirus, coronavirus, MERS-CoV, Chlamydia pneumoniae and mycoplasma pneumoniae'.