WHO Requests HMPV Data, But China Remains Silent: What Is It Hiding? – OpEd

China is facing a new health challenge. The World Health Organization has requested more information from China, but China does not want to share information about the virus with the global community. According to Greek pathologist Theodora Psaltopoulou, we must be particularly careful about how we operate in global health crises, especially after COVID, which caused the global life expectancy to decrease by 1 to 2 years.

The virus HMPV  is currently beginning to spread from China to other countries on the Asian peninsula. China says it is just a simple seasonal flu, but this is hard to believe when images and videos of people in hospitals have started circulating on social media. Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that HMPV is not a reason to halt travel to China as it does not constitute a health crisis of the magnitude of COVID. But how can the world trust her, as China has not so far met the need of the World Health Organization for more information? In addition wouldn’t it be kind of naïve to believe China this time, since she has a history of secretivity? Not to mention that if in case of COVID, the word had been informed before millions of deaths would have been prevented.

The videos in social media reveal hospital facilities overcrowded with patients wearing masks, bringing to mind images from the COVID era. Schools in Yuan have closed due to HMPV, and the 11 million-strong city has gone into lockdown. Now, for the simultaneous outbreak of respiratory diseases in China, the term “quad demic” is used, which means the simultaneous surge of the four major viruses such as COVID-19, H1N1 flu, RSV, and norovirus. 

The H1N1 flu has dramatically increased in England as flu-related hospitalizations rose by 325 percent this year compared to December 2023, with 1,861 patients being hospitalized each day, a rate that increased by 70 percent compared to the previous week. In the USA, hundreds of thousands of people are currently ill, with young children and the elderly being the most vulnerable groups

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has acknowledged the new outbreak of the HMPV virus in China, according to the state newspaper China Daily. However, Kan Biao, a spokesperson for the agency, does not seem to agree with the extent to which the issue is trending, stating at a press conference that the increase in HMPV, flu, rhinovirus, and mycoplasma pneumonia infections is to be expected during the winter. Kan also says that the spread of Covid-19 and other respiratory diseases is “at a low level.”

HMPV, first identified in the Netherlands in 2001, is a common virus worldwide which belongs to the same family as RSV – short for respiratory syncytial virus. For most people, it presents similarly to a common cold, but it 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 US Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

“Most people have had HMPV by the time they are five years old and catch it again throughout their lives,” says Dr Conall Watson, consultant epidemiologist at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). What are the symptoms? The most common symptoms are a cold, cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath. If it progresses, it can lead to bronchitis or pneumonia and cause upper and lower respiratory infections.

“The reason that people may have to be hospitalised is if they’re running into trouble with maintaining oxygen levels and sometimes they need to go to intensive care or have mechanical ventilation, but that’s relatively unusual,” says Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London.

Hmpv can develop over three to six days after initial infection and, like other respiratory infections, its duration can vary.It spreads either through human contact, or by touching objects or surfaces that have the viruses on them then touching the mouth, nose, or eyes. Like RSV, it is a seasonal virus occurring mostly during the winter months.

Prevention guidance from the CDC lists the same methods as for other viruses like COVID, such as washing your hands regularly and thoroughly, and avoiding close contact with others if you/they are unwell.

Dr Watson says: “As with all respiratory viruses, you can help reduce infections being passed on through regular handwashing and catching coughs and sneezes in tissues and throwing them away.

“If you have symptoms such as a high temperature, cough and feeling tired and achy, try to limit your contact with others, especially those who are vulnerable. There are many viruses in circulation at the moment, including flu – if you have symptoms of a respiratory illness and you need to go out, our advice continues to be that you should consider wearing a face mask.”

In late December, China’s diseases control authority said it was stepping up its monitoring of emerging respiratory diseases, as they expected cases to rise over the winter and into spring.

Officials said the data for acute respiratory diseases showed an upward trend in overall infections in the week of 16 to 22 December, adding there had been a HMPV spike particularly among children under 14 in northern provinces.

Photos and videos have also circulated widely on Chinese social media sites, showing huge crowds and snaking queues forming at hospitals, clinics and medical centers .China is still in “the season of high incidence of respiratory diseases”, the Chinese CDC said, reminding members of the public to take protective measures such as wearing masks, being up to date with vaccinations and maintaining proper hygiene practices. 

“Respiratory infections tend to peak during the winter season in the northern hemisphere,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a press conference in Beijing on Jan 3, responding to questions about the spread of respiratory diseases and potential travel restrictions trying to bring down the importance of the situation. However we need to be suscpicious this time and  we have to think the global financial effects of a new respirational pandemic. China’s economy is going to be severely damaged with traveling prohibitions and Chinese product’s not being able to be sold in the market. Let’s just take a minute to think the billions of dollars China makes every year through global trade of her products to Europe and America.This is going to be eliminated . That’s why the Chinese government remains dangerously silent and hides information under the table. 

Another very important aspect is the trade of rare earths, that is, semiconductors which are the modern chips. This sector is currently one of the largest areas of competition between China and the United States (it is essentially the reason why Trump wants to buy Greenland, as it has the necessary raw materials for America to make chips). Therefore, an acknowledgment of the global health crisis that China is experiencing for the second time will bring the United States to the forefront of semiconductor trade as well.

It is a country that prioritises its economy over human lives and we have to be very sceptical to the Chinese government even for some time not buy products from big shop chains like Shein or travel to China. The only thing that matters more than the economy is the global health.