Increasing cases of common Respiratory diseases The World Health Organization said other locations in China and around the Northern Hemisphere are within expected limits for the winter, with no unusual outbreaks reported.
Reports of an increase in cases in China Human metapneumovirus (hMPV), a common respiratory infection, has been making headlines around the world, with reports of overwhelmed hospitals recalling the start of the COVID-19 pandemic just five years ago.
However, the WHO said in a statement on Tuesday evening that it was in contact with Chinese health authorities and there had been no reports of unusual outbreak patterns. Chinese officials have also informed the United Nations Health Organization that the health system is not overwhelmed and that no emergency response has been launched.
The WHO said Chinese data as of Dec. 29 showed an increase in HMPV, seasonal influenza, rhinovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) diagnoses in recent weeks, particularly in northern parts of China. has increased. Influenza is currently the most commonly reported cause of illness, he said.
Masked children, along with adults, wait to be seen by medical staff in the pediatric ward of a hospital in east China's Zhejiang province on January 6, 2025.
Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images
“The observed increase in acute respiratory infections and associated pathogen detection in recent weeks in many Northern Hemisphere countries is expected at this time of year and is not unusual,” the WHO added.
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HMPV usually causes cold-like symptoms for a few days but can rarely lead to hospitalization in very young, elderly or medically debilitated people. Unlike the virus that causes COVID-19, which is new, hMPV was first identified in 2001 and has likely been circulating for a long time, the scientists said.
Several other countries, including India and the United Kingdom, have also reported rising cases of HMPV this winter, along with other respiratory infections, in line with seasonal trends that can sometimes draw hospitals.
“Almost every child will have at least one HMPV infection by their fifth birthday,” said Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia in the UK. Countries are also getting better at diagnosing the disease, which may be a factor in the rising rate, he said.
“Overall, I don't think there are any signs of a more serious global problem right now,” he said.