Amid claims of surging HMPV cases in China, health officials urge calm

[CRAIG NIGRELLI]

FIVE YEARS AFTER COVID-19 GRIPPED THE GLOBE, CHINA MAY BE DEALING WITH A NEW OUTBREAK.
SOME ON SOCIAL MEDIA ARE CLAMING A LITTLE-KNOWN VIRUS IS OVERWHELMING HOSPITALS.

KNOWN AS HUMAN METAPNEUMOVIRUS [META-NOMO-VIRUS] OR H-M-P-V – IT CAUSES FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS.

THERE ARE POSTS ALLEGING THE VIRUS IS OVERTAKING EMERGENCY ROOMS BUT CHINESE AUTHORITIES ARE NOT CONFIRMING THOSE CLAIMS.

OFFICIAL REPORTS INDICATE RATES OF MULTIPLE FLU-LIKE ILLNESSES ARE ON THE RISE. BUT PEOPLE ARE ONLY BEING ASKED TO WEAR FACEMASKS AND WASH THEIR HANDS FREQUENTLY.

INDIA’S TOP HEALTH OFFICIAL SAYS PEOPLE SHOULD NOT PANIC OVER THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS.

SAYING THERE WAS “NO SUBSTANTIAL” INCREASE IN INFECTIONS FROM THE VIRUS IN DECEMBER AND CASES HAVE NOT BEEN REPORTED IN LARGE NUMBERS “FROM ANY OTHER INSTITUTIONS.”

INDIA’S NATIONAL CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL SAYS IT’S CLOSELY MONITORING SEASONAL FLU AND RESPIRATORY CASES AND IS IN CONTACT WITH INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES.

DOCTORS SAY H-M-P-V TYPICALLY SPREADS THROUGH DROPLETS SPREAD BY COUGHING, SNEEZING OR TOUCHING A SURFACE CONTAMINATED BY THE VIRUS THEN TOUCHING YOUR EYES, NOSE OR MOUTH.

H-P-M-V IS MOST ACTIVE IN THE WINTER AND EARLY SPRING ALONGSIDE THE FLU AND COMMON COLD.

THE VIRUS IS RELATIVELY NEW, FIRST DETECTED IN 2001, AND IS REPORTEDLY SPARKING CONCERNS IT COULD LEAD TO ANOTHER PANDEMIC.

EARLIER THIS WEEK, CHINA ASSERTED IT SHARED INFORMATION ON COVID-19 “WITHOUT HOLDING ANYTHING BACK” AFTER THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION INSISTED BEIJING RELEASE MORE DATA ON THE PANDEMIC’S ORIGIN.

CHINA DEFENDED ITS DATA SHARING ON COVID-19 AND ARGUED IT HAS MADE THE “LARGEST CONTRIBUTION TO GLOBAL ORIGIN TRACE RESEARCH.”

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FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS– I’M CRAIG NIGRELLI.