Hot Search: Family Infected with Influenza A | China Truths

Welcome to China Truths. In this episode, we will bring you the following stories. Five members of a family of six traveling in Zhejiang were infected with influenza A and became a hot search topic. Infectious disease experts urge China to provide data on human metamorphosis. Now, let's dive into the details. China Truths Five members of a family of six traveling in Zhejiang were infected with influenza A and became a hot search topic. Recently, a variety of viruses in mainland China have been circulating at the same time. On January 7, the news of a family of six traveling and five people infected with influenza appeared on the hot search. According to the latest data from China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention CDC, the positive rate of influenza virus continues to rise, of which more than 99% are influenza A. The doctor reminded us that it is necessary to treat the infection as soon as possible and beware of possible resulting pneumonia. On the evening of January 6, the 2nd Hospital of Zhejiang University reported that in the fever clinic, a group of six people from the patient's family traveled, and five of them were infected with influenza A. At one o'clock in the morning, a 50-year-old auntie, Sudenim, came to the fever clinic of the 2nd Hospital of Zhejiang University. She said, My family went on a trip a week ago, and the next day we started to have a fever, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches all over my body, so I bought a thermometer, and the highest temperature was above 39 degrees Celsius or 102 degree Fahrenheit. I carried it for a few days, and the day before yesterday I couldn't stand it, so I went to a local hospital for a chest x-ray, and it was found that it was pneumonia, and I was advised to be hospitalized. I was so frightened that I flew back to see a doctor. Auntie took out a chest x-ray report that read lower-left pneumonia. Dr. Peng, who received the case, learned that Auntie Li had received some treatment locally, but her body temperature remained high. Of the six people in the family who traveled together, five of them had a fever. Dr. Peng judged that Auntie Li was most likely suffering from a highly contagious respiratory disease. The test results showed that Auntie Li had viral pneumonia and was positive for influenza A virus nucleic acid. The doctor said if Auntie Li could have been treated with antiviral drugs in the early stage of the disease, she should not have developed pneumonia. According to the information from the Second Hospital of Zhejiang University on January 6th, at the beginning of January 2025, the number of fever cases in the Second Hospital of Zhejiang University was four to five times that of early December 2024, and the positive rate of influenza-like cases is higher than 30 percent. In these cases, patients had a body temperature greater than 38 degrees C or 102 degree Fahrenheit together with cough and sore throats. The symptoms after infection with influenza A are mainly sudden high fever, often with cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, and runny nose, accompanied by general discomfort such as headache and muscle aches, and some patients may have gastrointestinal discomfort and joint pain, etc. The most typical symptom of influenza A is the pain, which is particularly strong. Not only sore throat, headache, muscle ache, and joint pain may occur. Some people describe that having a flu is like being wrung up like a towel in every part of the body, and every inch of the body is being tortured. Infectious disease experts urge China to provide data on human metonymovirus. The spread of human metonymovirus HMPV in China is attracting attention from the medical community. An Australian infectious disease expert said it was crucial for China to share HMPV infection data in a timely manner. The British media Daily Mail said that Beijing played down videos of overcrowding in hospitals' waiting rooms and wards that were circulated on social media, claiming that the scale and intensity of the epidemic were lower than last year. This has worried some, who see similarities between China's current approach and the COVID-19 outbreak in 2019, which was initially downplayed by the Chinese government. The report also quoted Sanjaya Senaik, associate professor of medicine and infectious disease expert at the Australian National University, as saying that it is vital for China to share relevant data in a timely manner, including disclosing which people are infected. In addition, we need genomic data to confirm that HMPV is, really, the culprit and, confirm that this virus, does not have major mutations of concern. These genomic data will also provide guidance for vaccine development, Senaik said. According to the Science Media Centre, Dr Andrew Kachepol, chief scientific officer of HVIVO, said, HMPV is usually detected in the winter, but it seems that the rate of severe infections in China may be higher than we would expect in a normal year. We need to, get, more information about this particular strain that is circulating in order to start understanding whether the virus that is causing the high infection rate in China is the usual circulating strain, or is it a little different. HVIVO is focused on testing vaccines and drugs to address infectious and respiratory diseases around the world through clinical trials. Five years ago, Wuhan, China, was the first place where COVID-19 epidemic broke out. Because the Chinese government concealed the epidemic at that time, the virus spread rapidly, and not only the whole of Wuhan became the hardest hit area, but the virus then spread overseas, evolving into a global pandemic, causing a large number of deaths. Many families are still unable to shake off the pain and trauma caused by the pandemic. This has also made Beijing criticized by the international community. Five years later, many people have a sense of déjà vu in the face of a large number of videos and images circulating on Chinese social media of citizens wearing masks and waiting in hospitals. Although Western experts believe that there is no need to worry about human metamorphosis at this time, the development of this event has attracted the attention of more and more mainstream media around the world, including the BBC, The Independent, Daily Mail, The Guardian and United Kingdom, CBS News, The Washington Post, USA Today, ABC, and Toronto Star in Canada. In addition, the virus has been reported by the media in European countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as in China's neighboring countries such as India and Malaysia. The World Health Organization, WHO, has not commented on the incidence of HMPV infection in China. But the group has been urging Beijing to share COVID data with the world. During the COVID pandemic, the WHO mission was hampered in accessing data in China, and Beijing refused to share truthful information about the COVID virus. We continue to call on China to share data and access so that we can understand the origins of COVID-19. The WHO said last week that this is a top priority, both morally and scientifically. Without transparency, information, sharing and cooperation between countries, the world will not be able to adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics. The Chinese authorities have countered these criticisms, insisting that they have no reservations about sharing information.