Mystery disease outbreak in China overwhelms hospitals

China is reportedly being ravaged by a mysterious viral outbreak that is overwhelming some hospitals and prompting people to wear face masks again.

Videos on social media appear to show hospital units overwhelmed with crowds of patients, and parents holding sick children in long queues in pediatric units late at night.

There have also been unverified reports online that crematoriums are overwhelmed. The videos and lack of official commentary have led some to draw similarities with the early days of the Covid outbreak.

Local news reports have blamed a little-known virus called human metapneumovirus (HMPV) — which normally causes a mild cold-like illness — for the latest outbreak, though officials have yet to confirm this.

The situation is similar to winter 2022/23 when China was hit with a wave of mycoplasma pneumonia cases, a condition dubbed ‘white lung’.

That crisis was blamed on children having low natural immunity due to the effects of China’s harsh lockdowns and school closure measures aimed at containing Covid.

Official reports from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that regular flu is leading the outbreak, with 30 percent of tests coming back positive for influenza and one in seven people hospitalized with a severe respiratory illness testing positive for it.

Source: Mystery disease outbreak in China overwhelms hospitals