Trends of Human Metapneumovirus Outbreaks in Bangladesh: Probable Risks and Preventive Strategies.

Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is one of the major pathogens associated with respiratory tract infection and is a rising concern for people with compromised immunity worldwide. Amid the global concern about the increased incidence of hMPV, we found a significant lack of studies on the epidemiology of this virus in Bangladesh. In this study, we integrated the previous reports of hMPV in Bangladesh and characterized the cases. We found that hMPV has been continuously circulating since 2000 among the residents of Bangladesh. The prevalence varied from 3.9% to 33% among children aged below 5 years. The cases were reported from Dhaka, Chittagong, Cumilla, Bogura, and Barishal. Among the symptoms, fever (80%-100%), cough (85%-100%), tachypnea (70%-100%), runny nose (80%-97%), and difficulty breathing (70%-85%) were the most common. This is the first integrated study of hMPV outbreak characterization in Bangladesh.