World Health Organization and China downplay threat of HMPV outbreak: ‘It’s not unusual’

The World Health Organization has finally commented on the virus outbreak in China that has sparked fears of a pandemic, saying the situation was “not unusual.”

The global health agency said respiratory infection rates in China were within the normal range expected for winter, and no unusual outbreaks had been reported.

HMPV, which some doctors have described as “the most important virus you’ve never heard of,” is partly blamed for a virus 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 received no reports of unusual outbreak patterns there.

Chinese authorities also told the UN health agency that the health care system is not overwhelmed and no emergency measures have been taken.

The increase in infections is drawing comparisons to the early days of the Covid pandemic, when the WHO and Chinese authorities both downplayed the severity of the virus before it devastated 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 those of this time last year.

Official CDC shows that interest rates have soared especially in the Midwestern states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, with rates three times higher than the rest of the country.

The situation is similar to the winter of 2022/2023, when China was hit by a wave of cases of mycoplasma pneumonia, a condition called ‘white lung’ that is also normally mild.

That outbreak was blamed on children who had low natural immunity due to the effects of China’s hard lockdowns and school closure measures aimed at containing Covid.

The WHO said Chinese data up to December 29, the latest available, shows that detections of HMPV, seasonal flu, rhinovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have all increased in recent weeks, especially in northern parts of China.

Influenza is currently the most commonly reported cause of illness, the report said.

Nearly one in three tests for the disease have come back positive, and one in seven people hospitalized with a severe respiratory illness tested positive for it, according to China’s CCD.

The agency said: ‘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.’

“Chinese authorities report that the healthcare system is not overwhelmed and no emergency declarations or responses have been triggered.

‘WHO continues to monitor respiratory diseases at global, regional and country levels through joint surveillance systems, and provides updates as necessary.’

Around New Year’s Eve, videos emerged claiming to show overwhelmed hospital wards in China.

They claim to show hospitals in Hunan – a province in the center of the country – and 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 involved in the rush to hospitals.

“Many people have colds, and most of them have (disease),” he said in quotes, translated into English.

“About seven to eight people have died in this area this week. Some were in their fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties and forties.”

MIDWEST SURGE: Region 7, which includes Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa, has sky-high HMPV rates compared to the rest of the country

This map shows how the CDC breaks down different regions of the US based on the weekly breakdown of respiratory infections

Experts have warned that HMPV, which causes flu-like symptoms, can linger in the body for days and can easily be passed on to others.

The most common symptoms of HMPV are fever, coughing and runny nose.

But more serious symptoms can occur, such as bronchitis, bronchiolitis and pneumonia, with patients experiencing shortness of breath, severe coughing or wheezing.

Children, the elderly, and immunocompromised patients are at greatest risk for serious complications.

Researchers estimate that one in 10 respiratory illnesses in American children are caused by HMPV. Approximately 20,000 children under the age of five are hospitalized with HMPV in the US each year.

Because the virus is usually mild, the exact fatality rate is unknown. But experts estimate that in the US, between 10 and 30 percent of patients hospitalized with HMPV die.

There are no vaccines or specific treatments for the disease.