In response to questions regarding the growing number of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) cases in China, the Chinese foreign ministry stated on Friday that it has kept in close contact with the World Health Organization (WHO) on respiratory diseases.
At a routine press conference, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, stated that although the Chinese government takes the health of its citizens and foreign visitors to China seriously, the HMPV virus is not new and has been circulating in humans for more than 60 years.
China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated in its most recent report that the number of HMPV cases was still high. This is consistent with instances in other northern hemisphere regions.
“HMPV infections manifest itself as a self-limiting disease,” Guo stated. “It is alarmist to exaggerate common viruses as unknown viruses, which goes against scientific common sense.”
The WHO opened a new tab on Tuesday and stated that it had communicated with Chinese health officials and had not heard of any unusual patterns in outbreaks.
