China plays down HMPV surge: "safe to travel"

China has insisted it is safe to visit the country amid concerns about a rise in the respiratory illness human metapneumovirus (HMPV).

The Chinese foreign ministry has downplayed speculation about the prevalence of the disease following images posted on social media showing hospitals facing an influx of patients with the flu-like disease.

Newsweek has contacted the Chinese foreign ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO) for comment by email.

Why It Matters

Media reports in other Asian countries such as India, Indonesia and Japan have warned people to be vigilant and reconsider visiting China. This follows a spike in respiratory illness cases across China which has echoes of the surge during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What To Know

Half a decade on from the COVID outbreak, images posted on social media of hospitals in China have spiked concerns of another heath crisis.

China's National Disease Control and Prevention Administration reported an increase in respiratory infections, including HMPV, during the winter, state media outlet China Daily reported on December 27.

However, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said respiratory infections "peak during the winter season" and that the Chinese government "cares about the health of Chinese citizens and foreigners coming to China," adding "it is safe to travel in China."

First identified in 2001, there is no vaccine for HMPV, which has flu-like symptoms and like the flu can cause serious respiratory issues among children and vulnerable groups.

The virus causes upper and lower respiratory infections as well as a cough, fever, nasal congestion and shortness of breath. In more serious cases, can lead to bronchitis or pneumonia, according to Healthshots.com.

HMPV can spread through the air as well as through touch and has an incubation period of between three and seven days, while a full recovery may take a few more.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said there are no specific antiviral treatments for the virus. Washing hands often with soap and water, avoid touching the face with unwashed hands and avoid close contact with sick people can protect from the disease.

What People Are Saying

Healthshots.com reported on January 3: "China is facing a surge in respiratory illnesses, including a rising outbreak of human metapneumovirus (hMPV). Reports suggest the virus is spreading rapidly, overwhelming hospitals in some areas."

Andrew Easton, a virology professor at the University of Warwick in the U.K., told Live Science: "It is always concerning to see a change in the incidence or pattern of an infection."

China's foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on January 3: "I can assure you that the Chinese government cares about the health of Chinese citizens and foreigners coming to China."

What Happens Next

The World Health Organization (WHO) has not dubbed the situation as a global health emergency and it appears there is not enough information on the extent and severity of a possible HMPV outbreak in China to accurately predict the risk of a pandemic.

As Newsweek has previously reported, the virus already circulates in China, the U.S. and elsewhere, making it more likely there is more herd immunity against it than there would be against a novel virus, such as COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic.