PARAMARIBO, Suriname, (CMC) – Suriname has dismissed reports of a lockdown after the Dutch-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country confirmed that it had recorded three cases of the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV).

Public Health Minister Amar Ramadin told a news conference that the HMP virus is not a new virus and that “in the past year, there were three cases in our country.

“But if there is no threat, we do not report it,” Ramadin said, dismissing reports of a possible lockdown as a fantasy.

“We distance ourselves from these reports,” he told reporters, stressing that the virus has been known since 2001 and that there is a trend of acute respiratory infections around this time of year, especially in the northern hemisphere.

Ramadin said that the ministry is in close contact with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) the United States-based Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).

He said there is no emergency situation in China, adding “moreover, there is no report of an unusual outbreak pattern”.

Earlier this week, the Public Health Ministry in a statement, said that there is no reason to be concerned about hMPV, insisting that here is currently no outbreak in Suriname and that the incorrect information via social media and other channels is leading to unnecessary panic and unrest.

“The ministry emphasizes that there is currently no unusual increase in hMPV cases observed in Suriname,” it added.

On Wednesday, the spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO), Margaret Harris told reporters that the respiratory virus gaining ground in China, while it has been sparking media attention in recent weeks, it does not represent a new or major threat.

The UN health agency spokesperson said that such infections are on the rise in China “as expected during winter”, with seasonal influenza being “by far the most common among them”, as reported by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

“China’s reported levels of respiratory infections are within the usual range for the winter season. Authorities report that hospital utilisation is currently lower than this time last year, and there have been no emergency declarations or responses triggered,” she added.

Harris said regarding hMPV, it was first identified in 2001 and “has been in the human population for a long time” adding it is a common virus that circulates in winter and spring and usually “causes respiratory symptoms similar to the common cold.

“It is not a pathogen that normally leads to deaths in humans, save for the most vulnerable,” she said, recommending “simple” prevention measures, such as wearing a mask, improving ventilation of closed spaces and handwashing.