Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: 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. METHODS: In this study, we integrated the previous reports of hMPV in Bangladesh and characterized the cases. RESULTS: 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. CONCLUSION: This is the first integrated study of hMPV outbreak characterization in Bangladesh.