The Ministry of Health provides information about the virus spreading in China.
The Ministry of Health is closely monitoring the spread of the HMPV virus in China to proactively provide complete and accurate information...
On the afternoon of January 5th, the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health) provided information about cases of pneumonia caused by a virus in humans in China.
Accordingly, from January 2nd, several foreign news outlets reported on an outbreak of human metapneumoniovirus (HMPV) causing pneumonia in humans, spreading rapidly in China with symptoms similar to influenza and Covid-19, and expressed concerns about another health crisis following Covid-19.
Immediately after receiving this information, the Department of Preventive Medicine contacted the World Health Organization (in Vietnam and the Asia-Pacific region) and the focal point for the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) in China.
To date, the WHO has no official information on the situation regarding this disease; nor has it verified the reliability and authenticity of the information provided.
According to the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the collected samples identified the main causative agents as influenza virus, HMPV, and rhinovirus.
China is currently experiencing winter weather, and respiratory infections tend to increase, including the main pathogens such as seasonal influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in children, and HMPV.
To date, the Department of Preventive Medicine will continue to closely monitor the disease situation; coordinate closely with the WHO and the Chinese focal point for implementing the IHR to proactively share accurate information, preventing panic and anxiety, but at the same time avoiding complacency and negligence in the face of the disease's developments, especially during the winter and spring months when weather conditions are favorable for the spread of respiratory pathogens.
