Millions in China have been affected by Human Metapneumovirus, HMPV. But doctors say that the virus is not as serious as COVID-19.

Welcome to VOA Asia Weekly.

I'm Chris Casquejo in Washington.

That story is coming up, but first, making headlines:

South Korean authorities detained impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol early Wednesday. The move ends a weeks-long standoff. Yoon is accused of insurrection over his martial law decree last month. He is the first sitting South Korean president to be detained. Yoon says the corruption investigation is not legitimate.

“Such repeated illegal actions and coercive procedures based on invalid warrants are deeply deplorable.”

North Korea on Tuesday test-fired multiple missiles toward its eastern waters. It’s the second demonstration this year ahead of Donald Trump’s return to the White House. South Korea’s military says the short-range ballistic missiles were fired from a northern inland area and flew about 250 kilometers.

Vietnam and Russia signed an agreement on nuclear energy Tuesday during a visit from Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin to Hanoi. Vietnam wants to restart its nuclear energy program to boost power generation for its growing industrial sector, a driver of its economy.

Indonesia’s government plans to set a minimum age requirement for children to use social media. In the meantime, Jakarta will issue a regulation for digital platforms, including social media companies, to adhere to child protection guidelines that have yet to be outlined. Many parents have expressed support for the proposed law.

Millions of people attended India’s Maha Kumbh Mela Festival, the largest religious gathering on Earth. Thousands of almost naked Hindu men marched toward the Ganges River at sunrise, chanting and bathing in the freezing water to cleanse their sins. The festival is held every 12 years, drawing more than 400 million people from around the world.

China says HMPV infections in the northern part of the country are declining. News of increased respiratory illnesses in China sparked international concerns about another potential pandemic. However, as VOA’s Dora Mekouar reports, medical experts emphasize that HMPV is very different from COVID-19.

China reports that infections of flu-like human metapneumovirus {meta-noo-mull-virus} -- known as HMPV -- are down in the northern part of the country. In recent weeks, reports of rising cases of the virus in the country where COVID-19 began sparked worries of another potential pandemic.

"International scholars are calling on China to disclose pathogen information and conduct genetic research to confirm that it is not a new virus. Even if it is an old virus, it could still be a new variant."

HMPV has been around at least since 2001.

“It's a very common virus that we see every year. Most children by the age of five have already had the disease. It's a virus that will produce symptoms like watery eyes, cough, sneezing, chest congestion.”

While HMPV can cause serious illness in children under five, and in older adults with other health problems, it’s usually a mild disease for most people.

“It is not nearly as serious as influenza or COVID disease. HMPV has been here for, you know, a long time, has infected millions of people that already have immunity. It's not as though this is a brand-new virus that might cause devastating problems.”

China health officials say the number of patients seeking medical help is lower compared to the same period last year. Auwaerter says the Chinese might be more susceptible to HMPV because China enforced more stringent COVID lockdowns than, for example, the United States, during the pandemic.

“They stayed home, refrained from work, wore masks. So the usual cycles of acquiring an infection, for example, during the respiratory season of winter, people didn't get infected, so their specific immunity, they weren't boosted, and so there was a larger population that might be more susceptible.”

There is no real treatment or vaccine for HMPV. The doctors say any patients who have trouble breathing should seek medical help.

Dora Mekouar, VOA News, Washington.

Visit voanews.com for the most up-to-date stories.

I’m Chris Casquejo.

Finally, fields of hope for farmers in Thailand.

A rice farmer transformed more than 2 acres of land into a colorful canvas of murals. Tanyapong Jaikham used rice paddies to create images of a red dragon, dogs and cats after a flood destroyed his farmland.

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