China says domestic flu cases are slowing but total cases of acute respiratory infections continue to rise.
People wait at the outpatient clinic in the respiratory department of a hospital in Beijing on January 8 - Photo: AFP
In its latest report on January 9, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that human pneumonia virus (HMPV) infection, a common respiratory infection, remains high.
Influenza is still more common than HMPV
Accordingly, although domestic influenza cases have shown signs of slowing down, the total number of cases of acute respiratory infections continues to increase. The report stated that the influenza situation nationwide in China is expected to gradually decrease by mid- to late-January 2025.
During the day, the South China Morning Post reported that many hospitals are struggling with a sharp increase in flu cases. The latest data shows that flu cases are still outnumbering HMPV infections.
"The level of respiratory infections reported by China is within the normal winter range.
Authorities report that hospitalisations are now lower than the same period last year and no emergency declaration or response has been made,” said World Health Organization (WHO) spokeswoman Margaret Harris.
Until now, China has maintained that the increase in HMPV cases and other respiratory diseases has always occurred during the winter and spring. However, experts say HMPV is not a new disease in China or anywhere else in the world .
“Increasing trends in influenza cases are also occurring across the Northern Hemisphere, including parts of Asia, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean,” Harris said.
Japan records record number of flu cases
On January 9, the Japanese government announced that the number of flu patients at medical facilities nationwide by the end of 2024 had reached its highest level since 1999.
Kyodo News Agency cited data from the Japanese Ministry of Health showing that about 5,000 medical facilities in the country recorded 317,812 flu patients in the week ending December 29, 2024. This number is equivalent to an average of 64.39 people/facility, exceeding the warning level of 30 patients/facility.
The surge has put pressure on hospitals and led to shortages of some flu medications, with major pharmaceutical manufacturers Sawai and Chugai announcing temporary suspensions of Tamiflu and its generic versions.
Sawai is expected to resume supply of the drug in late January or early February, while Chugai will partially suspend supply until the end of February.
An official from Japan's Health Ministry explained that increased travel and tourism during the 2025 New Year holiday could be a factor in the increase in flu cases.
Meanwhile, experts say the increase in flu could be due to people's immune systems being weakened after a long period without flu outbreaks following the government's imposition of measures to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic.
Doctors recommend that flu vaccination will still be effective at this time, especially when other flu strains from outside can spread and invade.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/cum-giam-nhung-nhiem-trung-duong-ho-hap-o-trung-quoc-van-tang-20250109234919385.htm
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