China refutes claims of ‘unknown virus’, says HMPV is not new

Chinese disease control experts urge public on multiple occasions how to take science-based protective steps

Beijing: The overall scale and intensity of respiratory infectious diseases in China are lower than last year, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday, noting that the Chinese side will continue to do what’s necessary to make sure it is comfortable, safe and convenient for domestic and foreign travellers in China.

Recently, there has been a lot of attention on the increase in cases of Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China. Some are concerned about the safety of travelling to China and there are even claims about “unknown virus in China” circling on the internet.

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Spokesperson Guo Jiakun refuted such claims at a daily press briefing, noting that the competent authorities have said that HMPV is not a new virus. It has circulated in humans for at least 60 years and is a common virus that causes upper respiratory infections. “HMPV infections are self-limited. Calling this common virus ‘unknown’ is inconsistent with basic science and essentially fearmongering,” he said.

The Chinese government takes seriously the health of its own people and foreign nationals living in China, the spokesperson said, noting that China’s competent authorities and technical agencies took proactive steps to carry out sentinel surveillance for various acute respiratory infectious diseases and released surveillance results.

Chinese disease control experts have told the public on multiple occasions how to take science-based protective steps. Also, China and the WHO remain in close and regular contact and share timely information on respiratory diseases, Guo added. Discovered in 2001, HMPV is in the Pneumoviridae family along with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).

Broader use of molecular diagnostic testing has increased identification and awareness of HMPV as an important cause of upper and lower respiratory infection, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). HMPV can cause upper and lower respiratory disease in people of all ages, especially among young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC.

Surveillance data from the CDC’s the National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System shows HMPV to be most active during late winter and spring in temperate climates. Symptoms commonly associated with HMPV include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath, according to the CDC. Unlike Covid-19 and the flu, there is no vaccine for HMPV or antiviral drugs to treat it. Instead, doctors care for seriously ill people by tending to their symptoms.