Viet Nam keeps close watch on emerging respiratory diseases in China

Upon receiving this information, the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health contacted the World Health Organization (WHO) in Viet Nam and the Asia-Pacific region and the International Health Regulations (IHR)'s focal point in China, which is the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Chinese CDC).

So far, the WHO has neither provided official information regarding the outbreak in China, nor verified the credibility and legitimacy of the news circulated on media and social networks.

The Department of Preventive Medicine stated that it would provide accurate, comprehensive information, preventing unnecessary panic.

The Department also ensures vigilance and caution during the current winter-spring period, which is conducive to the spread of respiratory pathogens.

China is experiencing a surge in infections of a respiratory virus, leading to overcrowded hospitals, emergency measures, and public concerns about an outbreak.

According to surveillance results reported by the Chinese CDC, specimens collected from outpatient and emergency departments revealed primary causative agents, including influenza viruses, human metapneumovirus (HMPV), and rhinovirus. For specimens from severe acute respiratory infection cases requiring hospitalisations, the primary agents identified were influenza viruses, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and HMPV.

The outbreak comes five years after the world was first alerted to the emergence of a novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China, which later turned into a global pandemic with seven million deaths reported.

China's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said last Friday: "Respiratory infections tend to peak during the winter season". "The diseases appear to be less severe and spread with a smaller scale compared to the previous year," she said.

Human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, is a respiratory virus that causes symptoms similar to the common cold and influenza. While the illness is typically mild, it can lead to severe complications such as pneumonia, particularly in infants, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems.

The virus is not new but has gained attention amid a surge in cases, particularly in children under 14 in northern China./.