The World Health Organization said the rise in cases of the common respiratory disease in China and elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere is within the range expected for winter, with no unusual outbreaks reported.
Reports of rising cases of human pneumonia virus (hMPV), a common respiratory infection, have made headlines around the world, with reports of overwhelmed hospitals reminiscent of the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic just over five years ago.
However, the World Health Organization said in a statement Tuesday evening that it was in contact with Chinese health officials and had not received any reports of unusual outbreak patterns there. Chinese authorities also told the UN health agency that the health system is not overwhelmed and no emergency responses have been activated.
The WHO said Chinese data through December 29 showed that detections of human papillomavirus (hMPV), seasonal influenza, rhinovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) have all increased in recent weeks, especially in northern parts of China. She said influenza is currently the most common cause of illness.
Masked children, accompanied by adults, wait to see medical staff in the children’s department of a hospital in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, on January 6, 2025.
Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images
The organization added, “Noted increases in acute respiratory infections and associated pathogens in many countries in the Northern Hemisphere in recent weeks are expected at this time of year and are not unusual.”
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HMPV usually causes cold-like symptoms for a few days, but can rarely lead to hospitalization in the very young, elderly, or medically frail. Unlike the virus that causes COVID-19, which was new, hMPV was first identified in 2001 and has likely been circulating for much longer, scientists said.
A number of other countries, including India and the United Kingdom, have also reported a rise in HPV cases this winter, as well as other respiratory infections, in keeping with seasonal trends that can sometimes put pressure on hospitals.
“Almost every child will have at least one hMPV infection by their fifth birthday,” said Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia in the UK. He added that countries are also getting better at diagnosing the disease, which may be a factor in the increased rates.
“Overall, I don’t think there is currently any sign of a more serious global problem,” he said.
