COVID-19 is the respiratory virus most Americans think about when they hear summer respiratory illness warnings. But the CDC's Respiratory Illnesses Data Channel identifies two different viruses — both elevated above typical summer levels and both without approved vaccines — that parents of young children need to know about right now.
The CDC's most recent respiratory data update confirms that both parainfluenza virus (PIV) and human metapneumovirus (HMPV) are circulating nationally at above-normal levels for this time of year. Both can cause serious respiratory illness in infants and young children. And most parents have never heard of HMPV.
