The World Health Organization has finally commented on the viral outbreak in China that has fueled pandemic fears, saying the situation was ‘not unusual.’
The global health agency said rates of respiratory infections in China were within the normal range expected for winter, with no unusual outbreaks reported.
HMPV, which some doctors describe as ‘the most important virus you’ve never heard of’, has been partly blamed for a viral outbreak in China that is reportedly overwhelming hospitals in the country’s northern provinces.
However, the WHO said in a statement on Tuesday evening that it was in contact with Chinese health officials and had not received any reports of unusual outbreak patterns there.
The Chinese authorities have also informed the UN health agency that the health system is not overwhelmed and no emergency responses have been triggered.
The surge in infections has drawn comparisons to the early days of the Covid pandemic, when the WHO and Chinese authorities both played down the severity of the virus before it ravaged the world.
HMPV, which was first identified in 2001 and has symptoms similar to the common cold, has also been detected in the US, with rates double that of this time last year.
Official CDC shows it has surged particularly in midwestern states Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa, with rates triple those of the rest of the country.
Chinese health authorities and the World Health Organization has said the country’s rise in HMPV infections is ‘not unusual.’ This has led to comparisons of authorities downplaying Covid in the early days of the pandemic
The situation is similar to winter 2022/23 when China was hit with a wave of mycoplasma pneumonia cases, a condition dubbed ‘white lung’, which is also normally mild.
That outbreak was blamed on children having low natural immunity due to the effects of China’s harsh lockdowns and school closure measures aimed at containing Covid.
The WHO said Chinese data up to December 29, the latest data available, showed detections of HMPV, seasonal influenza, rhinovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have all increased in recent weeks, particularly in northern parts of China.
Influenza is currently the most commonly reported cause of disease, it said.
Nearly one in three tests for the disease have come back positive, and one in seven people hospitalized with a severe respiratory illness testing positive for it, according to the Chinese CCD.
The agency said: ‘The observed increases in acute respiratory infections and associated pathogen detections in many countries in the Northern hemisphere in recent weeks is expected at this time of year and is not unusual.’
‘Chinese authorities report that the health care system is not overwhelmed and there have been no emergency declarations or responses triggered.
‘WHO continues to monitor respiratory illnesses at global, regional and country levels through collaborative surveillance systems, and provides updates as needed.’
Videos claiming to show overwhelmed hospital units in China started to appear online around New Year’s Eve.
They claim to show hospitals in Hunan — a province in the center of the country — as well as other areas.
Aboluowang News, a US-based news provider covering China, published quotes from a farmer in Hunan province, known as Mr Peng, who said he was caught up in the surge to hospitals.
‘A lot of people have caught colds, and most of them have [illness],’ he said in quotes translated to English.
‘About seven or eight people died this week in this area. Some were in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 40s.’
MIDWEST SURGE: Region 7, which covers Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, is seeing sky-high rates of HMPV compared to the rest of the country
This map shows how the CDC breaks down different regions of the US for its weekly breakdown of respiratory infections
Experts have cautioned that HMPV, which produces flu-like symptoms, can lurk in the body for days and so it can be easily passed on to others
The most common symptoms of HMPV are fever, cough, and runny nose.
But more severe symptoms such as bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia can occur, with sufferers experiencing a shortness of breath, severe cough or wheezing.
Children, the elderly and immunocompromised patients are at the highest risk of severe complications.
Researchers estimate one in 10 respiratory illnesses in US children are caused by HMPV. About 20,000 children under five in the US are hospitalized with HMPV every year.
Because the virus is usually mild, its exact death rate is unknown. But experts estimate anywhere from 10 to 30 percent of patients hospitalized with HMPV die in the US.
There are no vaccines or specific treatments for the disease.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
