Dr. Hoang Minh Duc, Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health), said that on January 2, 2025, a number of foreign electronic news sites reported on an outbreak of disease in China with many cases of pneumonia caused by a virus in humans and stated that the disease spread rapidly with symptoms similar to the flu, COVID-19, and at the same time, there were concerns about another health crisis after COVID-19.
Immediately after receiving the above information, the Department of Preventive Medicine contacted the World Health Organization (WHO) in Vietnam and the Asia-Pacific region and the unit implementing the International Health Regulations (IHR) of China (Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention).
Up to now, WHO has not had any official information about the epidemic situation in China, and has not yet verified the reliability and authenticity of the information on the above-mentioned press and social media channels.
According to Dr. Hoang Minh Duc, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has informed that the respiratory infection spreading in this country is a regular disease, not an unusual medical event, and that respiratory infections usually peak at this time of year in this country.
Based on information recorded from the event-based surveillance system, the Department of Preventive Medicine has proactively monitored and supervised information on the development of respiratory diseases in China.
The Department of Preventive Medicine will continue to closely monitor the developments of the epidemic situation; closely coordinate with WHO, the Chinese IHR implementation unit to update information and proactively provide and share complete and accurate information, not to cause panic or anxiety, but at the same time not to be subjective or negligent in the face of developments of the epidemic situation, especially in the current winter-spring period with favorable weather conditions for respiratory pathogens to spread.
Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Dac Phu - former Director of the Department of Preventive Medicine (Ministry of Health) - said that so far, WHO has not issued any warning information about this epidemic. According to information from China, this respiratory disease is caused by common influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Explaining the increase in cases in China, Mr. Phu said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing measures have reduced the number of people infected with the HMPV virus, thereby leading to a decrease in community immunity. Meanwhile, the HMPV virus is still the cause of the disease every year, especially in the winter and spring. When the virus develops, along with the relaxation of epidemic prevention measures and the decline in community immunity, the number of cases has recently increased.
“These are common viruses, not dangerous ones, so people should not panic too much. However, it is necessary to pay attention to disease prevention like other respiratory diseases. When having symptoms of cough, fever, runny nose, etc., it is necessary to limit going to crowded places or public places to avoid infecting others. At the same time, you should wash your hands regularly with soap and maintain good personal hygiene. When in contact with people showing symptoms of the disease, you should wear a mask. In general, it is necessary to apply disease prevention measures similar to those for COVID-19 and other respiratory infectious diseases,” Mr. Phu emphasized.
He also advised: “We need to continue to monitor news from WHO to have appropriate warnings and responses. People should not be too worried, but also should not be subjective in disease prevention and control.”
