The increase in cases of common respiratory illnesses in China and elsewhere in the northern hemisphere is within the expected range for winter, and no unusual outbreaks have been reported, the World Health Organization said.
Reports of a surge in cases in China of human metapneumovirus (hMPV), a common respiratory infection, have made headlines around the world, with reports of overwhelmed hospitals reminiscent of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 a little over five years ago.
However, the WHO said in a statement late Tuesday that it was in contact with Chinese health authorities and had not received any reports of unusual outbreak patterns there. Chinese authorities have also informed the UN health agency that the health system is not overwhelmed and no emergency response has been triggered.
The WHO said Chinese data through Dec. 29 showed detections of hMPV, seasonal flu, rhinovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) had all increased in recent weeks, particularly in northern China . Influenza is currently the most commonly reported cause of illness, the release said.
Masked children, accompanied by adults, wait to be seen by medical staff at the pediatric department of a hospital in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, January 6, 2025.
Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images
“The observed increase in acute respiratory infections and associated pathogen detections in many Northern Hemisphere countries in recent weeks is expected at this time of year and is not unusual,” added the WHO.
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HMPV usually causes cold-like symptoms for a few days, but can, in rare cases, lead to hospitalization in the very young, elderly, or medically vulnerable. Unlike the virus that causes COVID-19, which was new, hMPV was first identified in 2001 and has likely been circulating much longer, the scientists said.
A number of other countries, including India and the United Kingdom, have also reported increases in hMPV cases this winter, as well as other respiratory infections, in line with seasonal trends that can sometimes strain hospitals.
“Almost all children will have at least one hMPV infection before their fifth birthday,” said Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. Countries are also getting better at diagnosing the disease, he said, which could be a factor in increasing rates.
“Overall, I don’t think there is any sign of a bigger global problem right now,” he said.
