Here’s How Australia is Reporting on the HMPV Virus
9. January 2025In recent weeks, the Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) has emerged as a significant topic in global health reporting. HMPV, a respiratory virus known to cause cold-like symptoms and more severe illnesses in vulnerable groups such as young children and the elderly, has garnered increased media attention following reports of outbreaks and rising case numbers in certain regions. While the virus is not new, its resurgence in certain parts of the world has put it back on the radar of health authorities and the public.
From a news SEO perspective, the HMPV virus offers valuable insights into how health-related topics are covered and prioritized by publishers. Particularly in Australia, the virus dominates keyword rankings in the health category. Understanding these trends can shed light on how international health stories capture visibility in a market that is geographically distant from the epicenter of such outbreaks.
The following analysis is based on data sourced from the Trisolute News Dashboard that focuses on Australian publishers and the most relevant HMPV-related keywords. We looked at the time range from January 3 to January 9 to ensure the most time-accurate analysis possible. The focus of this analysis is the mobile visibility overall, including News Boxes (Headline, Text, and Carousel), Video Boxes, Publisher and Other Carousels, Web Stories, Featured Snippets, Visual Digests, and Organic Rankings, with keywords sourced from Google News and Google Trends.
By examining these trends, we can better understand how health-related topics like the HMPV are optimized for visibility in the digital news ecosystem. Let’s dive into the data:
Keywords on the HMPV virus
This list shows all the keywords that appeared in the ‘Health’ category when applying the filter settings above that thematically related to the HMPV virus.
Keywords including rankings:
china (9,329); hmpv (8,247); china hmpv (3,082); human metapneumovirus hmpv china (2,367); hmpv china (1,692); human metapneumovirus china (1,513); virus (1,060); china virus hmpv (507); china outbreak (503); china virus (362); china cases (329); hmpv cases (328); china rise (269); cases india (239); cases china (156); hmpv outbreak (114); china human metapneumovirus (110); hmpv health (100); health hmpv (90)
Insights
- Dominance of China-related keywords: The fact that 69% of rankings come from keywords including the term ‘china’ suggests a strong association between the virus and its place of origin. Specific events such as outbreaks, case reports, or health politics tied to this country seem to be of high interest for the Australian news coverage of the HMPV virus.
- Preference for the abbreviation ‘HMPV’: Keywords including the abbreviation ‘hmpv’ account for significantly more rankings than the full term ‘human metapneumovirus’ (12,330 rankings vs. 1,623 rankings). This indicates that shorter, more concise terms generate more ranking opportunities, specifically for complex medical terms.
- Focus on case numbers and outbreaks: Keywords containing terms like ‘cases’ (1,052 rankings) or ‘outbreak’ (617 rankings) suggest that there is a clear emphasis on the extent and spread of the virus. This trend may reflect the prominence of statistical updates in the content indexed.
- Lower emphasis on health topics: The keywords ‘health’ and ‘health hmpv’ rank comparatively lower (190 rankings combined). This may indicate that topics related to the virus’s geographic or statistical content are prioritized over discussions around health implications or prevention measures.
- Regional relevance beyond China: While ‘china’ dominates the keyword rankings, the term ‘cases india’ highlights interest in other regions, albeit to a much smaller degree (239 rankings). Interestingly, there is no keyword containing mentions of cases in Australia or any indication of local impact.
- Importance of compound keywords: Compound keywords like ‘china hmpv’ or ‘human metapneumovirus hmpv china’ appear prominently in the rankings, indicating that combinations linking the virus with geographic or specific contextual details are particularly relevant.
Top 5 publishers in Australia
The chart below, sourced from the Trisolute News Dashboard, shows the top 5 publishers in Australia for the above-listed keywords during the time period from January 3 to January 8, granulated by days, and their course of visibility. Included in the top 5 are NCTV.com, The Guardian.com, Live Science.com, BBC.com, and ABC.net.au. Since at the time of writing this article, January 9 is not yet completed, it does not appear in the view of daily granularity.
Daily mobile visibility of the top 5 publishers in Australia for HMPV virus keywords (January 3-8)
Included in the top 5 (sorted by visibility) are NDTV.com, The Guardian.com, Live Science.com, BBC.com, and ABC.net.au. Since at the time of writing this article, January 9 is not yet completed, it does not appear in the view of daily granularity. For a more precise breakdown of the data, here’s the hourly view of the top 5’s course of visibility, including data from January 9:
Hourly mobile visibility of the top 5 publishers in Australia for HMPV virus keywords (January 3-9)
Unlike the view of daily granularity, British publisher The Guardian ranks in first place for the reporting on the HMPV, suggesting a significant addition to its visibility on January 9 that helped it overtake NDTV. On the days from January 3 to January 6, there are only minor spikes in visibility for this publisher; otherwise, there is none. In the early hours of January 7, though, a massive spike in visibility catapults The Guardian high and above its competition, with several significant spikes following for the remainder of the day as well as January 8. On January 9, the visibility flattens slightly but is still present nonetheless. Overall, The Guardian achieved 1,225 rankings during the analyzed time frame, with its top keyword, ‘china’, contributing 535 rankings to this number. Its top article is: What is HMPV, are cases of human metapneumovirus surging in China, and should we be worried?.
2. NDTV.com
Indian publisher NDTV holds second place in visibility for HMPV reporting during the analyzed time frame. Unlike The Guardian, NDTV sees its main spikes in visibility during the time frame from January 3 to January 5, before gradually decreasing on January 6. This change in visibility among the top two publishers explains the switch in places when adding data from January 9 to the analysis, where NDTV scarcely showed any spikes in visibility, while The Guardian did. NDTV’s overall rankings on the topic amount to 1,849, with the top keyword ‘human metapneumovirus hmpv china’ contributing 552 rankings to that number. The publisher’s top article is: HMPV Outbreak In China: Symptoms, Spread And What You Should Know.
3. BBC.com
With the international instance of the BBC, yet another Britain-based publisher appears among the top 5 in Australia. After some relatively minor spikes in visibility from January 3 to January 7, this publisher’s visibility noticeably rises starting from January 8, even going so far as to bring it in first place in some cases on January 8 and 9. The BBC’s overall number of rankings on the HMPV amounts to 1,315. The top keyword ‘hmpv’ accounted for 514 of those rankings, and the publisher’s top article on the topic is: HMPV: What to know about China’s human metapneumovirus cases.
US-based publisher Live Science stands out as the fourth of the top 5 publishers in Australia for HMPV-related coverage, with a visibility trend that showcases a strong start in the beginning of the analyzed time period before it flattens out on January 7, similar to NDTV. Live Science’s visibility notably begins to rise on January 4, peaking during the morning hours when it even takes the top spot among all publishers. After maintaining steady visibility through January 5 and 6, the trend starts to taper off from January 7 onwards, with minimal spikes observed by January 9. While visibility flattens in the latter part of the time frame, Live Science’s early impact highlights its relevance in the conversation around the HMPV virus. In total, Live Science achieved 839 rankings for HMPV-related keywords during the week, with its top keyword, ‘hmpv’, contributing 324 rankings. The publisher’s top article, which, by the way, makes up 100% of Live Science’s visibility during that time, is: Viral disease HMPV is on the rise among kids in China — what is it?.
5. ABC.net.au
As the only Australian publisher in the top 5 for HMPV-related coverage, ABC News demonstrates a unique local presence among predominantly international competitors. Similar to the trends observed with the two British publishers, ABC News’s visibility begins to emerge on January 7, marking a clear turning point in its performance. From this point onward, visibility steadily increases, culminating in a remarkable peak during the early hours of January 9, where the publisher briefly claims the top position in the rankings. Overall, ABC News achieved 704 rankings for HMPV-related keywords during the analyzed period, with its top keyword, ‘china’, contributing 321 rankings. The publisher’s top article is: HMPV is a cold-like virus that has been around for decades. Here’s why people are talking about it.
Key findings
The analysis reveals several key insights into how the HMPV was covered by publishers in Australia. Keywords containing the term ‘china’ dominated the rankings, accounting for 69% of the total visibility, highlighting a strong focus on the virus’s origin and its global implications. Additionally, the abbreviation ‘hmpv’ significantly outperformed its full form ‘human metapneumovirus’ in rankings (12,330 vs. 1,623), emphasizing a clear preference for concise terminology in both search and coverage.
Keywords emphasizing case numbers and outbreaks, such as ‘cases’ and ‘outbreak,’ also drove a substantial portion of visibility, reflecting a strong interest in the virus’s spread and statistics. In contrast, health-related keywords ranked much lower, indicating less attention on topics like prevention or health advice.
Among the top publishers, The Guardian led the rankings overall, overtaking NDTV with significant visibility spikes starting January 7. Interestingly, ABC.net.au, the only Australian publisher in the top 5, entered the visibility rankings later in the week, beginning January 7, but managed to peak on January 9, even briefly claiming the top spot. This demonstrates how international narratives and local publishers combined to shape the coverage of HMPV in Australia.
For further insights into how health-related topics shaped 2024 in Germany, the UK, and the US, check out this article.
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