A recent surge in respiratory infections in China has drawn attention from neighboring countries and regions, with the Chinese public expressing concerns about the severity of the new outbreak amid ongoing distrust of the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) health reporting post-COVID.
Official data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, dated to the last week of 2024, reported that multiple flu-like illnesses are currently on the rise in China. The primary pathogens reported in outpatients and emergency wards were influenza, human metapneumovirus (HMPV), and rhinoviruses. Severe acute respiratory infections were attributed to influenza viruses, mycoplasma pneumoniae, and HMPV.
The report noted that HMPV, a lesser-known common winter respiratory disease, has caused many children under 14 in China’s northern provinces to fall ill. Cases of HMPV surged the most in the past week to become the second most prevalent cause of respiratory infections in China’s north after influenza.
Since HMPV was first detected by Dutch researchers in 2001, it has been found worldwide. Common symptoms are similar to those of influenza, including cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath, which are signs of upper respiratory tract infections.
The virus can also lead to complications such as bronchitis, tracheitis, pneumonia, asthma, or ear infections. Severe infections may result in serious lower respiratory tract infections.
According to the world-renowned medical institution the Cleveland Clinic, young children, adults over 65, and people with weakened immune systems are at high risk for severe HMPV infections.