China's flu surge falls below 2024 levels, health official states
The surge of flu cases in China has dropped to levels below those expected for 2024, according to a health official.
TroibNews 
The increase in flu cases across China is beginning to slow, as indicated by a health official referencing disease control statistics.
Hu Qiangqiang, spokesperson for China’s National Health Commission, noted at a press conference in Beijing on Sunday that the percentage of positive flu virus tests in hospitals nationwide rose by 3.8 percent—lower than the increase observed during the same timeframe in 2024. "Current flu activity will gradually decrease later this month, although the situation may vary in different parts of the country," he added.
The NHC is managing the response to the flu season, confirming that there is no shortage of medical resources and that the supply and production of essential medicines remain stable, Hu informed reporters.
Some media outlets and social media platforms mistakenly reported a surge in human metapneumovirus cases in China in December 2024, inaccurately labeling HMPV as a "new virus." HMPV has been known for decades and was identified by researchers in the 2000s. These misleading reports have been refuted by experts, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the World Health Organization.
Parents are still advised to take protective measures for their children against various respiratory illnesses, especially in northern China, where winter respiratory illnesses are prevalent.
"From our observations at Beijing Children's Hospital, there is no abnormal increase in patients [numbers]," said Xu Baoping, a senior doctor at the hospital, responding to inquiries about the flu season's effects on children. He mentioned that the number of patients over the last two months has been lower than in the previous year.
Xu also cautioned that children recovering from one strain of the flu may be susceptible to another. "Although the flu symptoms are gone, the child's immune system takes longer to recover," he explained.
An expert from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention stated that there are no new infectious diseases in the country and that all current respiratory infections are attributed to known pathogens.
Wang Liping, a research fellow at the China CDC, remarked during an NHC press conference that influenza is currently the leading cause of visits to healthcare facilities for patients suffering from acute respiratory infections. Data indicates that influenza intensity remains moderate across most provinces, and with middle and primary schools heading into winter holidays, a decline in influenza activity is anticipated in mid to late January.
Despite an uptick in visits to fever clinics and emergency departments across the nation, the figures remain below those from the same period last year, and there has been no significant shortage of medical resources, according to NHC official Gao Xinqiang.
Since October 2024, the commission has collaborated with the China CDC and other relevant authorities to formulate plans and consistently monitor the situation, deploying resources and personnel nationwide to ensure medical services continue to operate smoothly and efficiently, Gao elaborated.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
Hu Qiangqiang, spokesperson for China’s National Health Commission, noted at a press conference in Beijing on Sunday that the percentage of positive flu virus tests in hospitals nationwide rose by 3.8 percent—lower than the increase observed during the same timeframe in 2024. "Current flu activity will gradually decrease later this month, although the situation may vary in different parts of the country," he added.
The NHC is managing the response to the flu season, confirming that there is no shortage of medical resources and that the supply and production of essential medicines remain stable, Hu informed reporters.
Some media outlets and social media platforms mistakenly reported a surge in human metapneumovirus cases in China in December 2024, inaccurately labeling HMPV as a "new virus." HMPV has been known for decades and was identified by researchers in the 2000s. These misleading reports have been refuted by experts, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the World Health Organization.
Parents are still advised to take protective measures for their children against various respiratory illnesses, especially in northern China, where winter respiratory illnesses are prevalent.
"From our observations at Beijing Children's Hospital, there is no abnormal increase in patients [numbers]," said Xu Baoping, a senior doctor at the hospital, responding to inquiries about the flu season's effects on children. He mentioned that the number of patients over the last two months has been lower than in the previous year.
Xu also cautioned that children recovering from one strain of the flu may be susceptible to another. "Although the flu symptoms are gone, the child's immune system takes longer to recover," he explained.
An expert from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention stated that there are no new infectious diseases in the country and that all current respiratory infections are attributed to known pathogens.
Wang Liping, a research fellow at the China CDC, remarked during an NHC press conference that influenza is currently the leading cause of visits to healthcare facilities for patients suffering from acute respiratory infections. Data indicates that influenza intensity remains moderate across most provinces, and with middle and primary schools heading into winter holidays, a decline in influenza activity is anticipated in mid to late January.
Despite an uptick in visits to fever clinics and emergency departments across the nation, the figures remain below those from the same period last year, and there has been no significant shortage of medical resources, according to NHC official Gao Xinqiang.
Since October 2024, the commission has collaborated with the China CDC and other relevant authorities to formulate plans and consistently monitor the situation, deploying resources and personnel nationwide to ensure medical services continue to operate smoothly and efficiently, Gao elaborated.
Lucas Dupont for TROIB News
