Some hospitals in China are apparently being overrun by an enigmatic viral outbreak.
Social media videos seem to depict parents carrying ill children in long lines in pediatric departments and hospital units overrun with patients wearing face masks.
Additionally, there have been unsubstantiated accusations of overcrowding at funeral houses and crematoriums.
Some have compared the frightening scenes and the absence of official commentary to the early stages of the Covid outbreak in China.
Although authorities have not yet verified it, local news reports have linked the most recent outbreak to a little-known virus known as human metapneumovirus (HMPV), which typically causes a mild cold-like sickness.
The situation is comparable to the winter of 2022–2023, when China had a surge in instances of mycoplasma pneumonia, popularly known as “white lung,” which is typically mild.
Children’s low natural immunitynas a result of China’s strict lockdowns and school closures to contain COVID-19 was blamed for that outbreak.
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However, according to official data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the most recent outbreak appears to be caused by the common flu, as one in seven patients hospitalized with a severe respiratory disease tested positive for influenza, and 30% of tests returned positive for the virus.
However, the Chinese CDC cautioned that the number of flu-like diseases is increasing.
According to data from its most recent report, 7.2% of outpatient visits to local hospitals in northern provinces for the week ending December 29 were caused by flu-like symptoms.
This was higher above the levels for the same week in every flu season since 2021 and up 12% from the week before.
According to data for the southern region of the nation, flu-like sickness accounted for 5.7% of outpatient visits.
In addition to being higher above the levels for the same week in 2021, when 4.1% of visits were attributed to flu-like sickness, this was up 21% over the week before.
