A mysterious viral outbreak is overwhelming some hospitals in China and prompting people to wear face masks again.
According to local news reports, a little-known virus called human metapneumovirus (HMPV) has been blamed. It normally causes a mild cold-like illness, including fever, a cough, runny nose, and wheezing. In severe cases, HMPV can lead to bronchitis or pneumonia, particularly in children.
The virus spreads through respiratory droplets and close physical contact, making it highly contagious in crowded settings.
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.
But official reports from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that regular flu is leading the latest outbreak, with 30 percent of tests coming back positive for influenza and one in seven people hospitalized with a severe respiratory illness testing positive for it.
The Chinese CDC has warned that rates of multiple flu-like illnesses are on the rise.
In its latest report, for the week to December 29, data suggested that 7.2 per cent of outpatient visits to local hospitals in northern provinces were due to a flu-like illness.
This was up 12 per cent on the previous week, and above the levels for the same week every flu season since 2021.
Data for the southern part of the country suggested that 5.7 per cent of outpatient visits were due to flu-like illness.
This was up 21 per cent on the previous week, and also above the level’s for the same week in 2021 when 4.1 per cent of visits were due to flu-like illness. It was, however, below the levels in 2022 and 2023.
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.’
The website also published quotes it said were from a funeral director, called Ms Wang, who was claimed to have told them there were long lines at her crematorium.
‘There are long lines for cremation now,’ she said in translated quotes. ‘Today, three VIP furnaces were opened.
‘They were all burning and emitting a lot of smoke. It was terrible. If you don’t know about the crematorium, you would think it is selling New Year goods, just like holding a trade fair during the Chinese New Year.’
