What do the Chinese authorities say?
The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced at the end of the year that it was setting up “active surveillance for pneumonia of unknown origin” as part of the development of its general prevention strategy.
“The MPVh positivity rate among children aged 14 and under has shown an increasing trend,” said official Kan Biao, responding to a question about the “intertwining of several infectious diseases” since the start of the pandemic. ‘winter. “The scale and intensity of spread of infectious respiratory diseases remain lower than last year,” he said.
“There is no risk in traveling to China,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry added last Friday.
A virus similar to the flu
MPVh, which stands for “human metapneumovirus,” generally causes a mild upper respiratory tract infection. It is transmitted by direct contact between people or after touching a contaminated surface.
Common symptoms include a cough, fever, or runny nose, symptoms very similar to many types of colds and flu. But young children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems may have more serious symptoms.
Public health advice for hPVD is similar to that for influenza, says John Tregoning, professor of vaccine immunology at Imperial College London. In the event of infection, you must “rest, drink and avoid transmitting it to others,” specifies the specialist. “Ventilating spaces well, covering your mouth when coughing, or washing your hands” limits the risk of infection, he adds.
Different from Covid-19
The coronavirus responsible for Covid-19 was unknown when it emerged in humans at the end of 2019. The human population had never been exposed to it and was not immune, increasing the risk of complications.
-Conversely, MPVh has been circulating for decades, implying a certain level of immunity. The virus “is part of the cocktail of viruses to which we are exposed every winter”, recalls John Tregoning.
“Almost every child will have at least one hMPV infection before their fifth birthday,” says Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. And many people will be contaminated several times during their lives, he adds.
Normal levels
Images of masked patients flocking to hospital emergency departments have circulated widely on Chinese social media in recent weeks, although such scenes are not unusual in winter. This information has sparked concern around the world, with some recalling China’s supposed lack of transparency during the Covid-19 pandemic. Several Chinese citizens who had warned about the seriousness of the pandemic had notably disappeared.
First case of clade 1b mpox in France: who is affected by vaccination?
After the identification of a first case of mpox (formerly called “monkey pox”) of clade 1b in mainland France, confirmed Monday January 6, the health authorities reiterate the importance of vaccination for target populations. The patient, domiciled in Brittany, has not traveled to central Africa where different clades are actively circulating, including clade 1b. This person, treated at the Rennes University Hospital (Ille-et-Vilaine), was however in contact with two individuals returning from central Africa.
Last December, the World Health Organization (WHO) again asked China to share its data on the Covid-19 pandemic in order to better prepare for future health crises. Beijing responded that it had shared its information “without any restrictions”.
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