Human metapneumovirus is not a new virus and no new infectious disease has emerged!

On January 12, the National Health Commission held a press conference to introduce the relevant situation of respiratory disease prevention and control.

Hu Qiangqiang, spokesperson of the National Health Commission, introduced that the national acute respiratory infectious disease sentinel surveillance data recently released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed that influenza was in the seasonal epidemic period in the first week of 2025, and the increase in the influenza virus positivity rate slowed down. Among them, the influenza virus positivity rate of outpatient influenza-like cases nationwide increased by 3.8% compared with last week, which was lower than the same period last year. It is expected that the influenza activity level may gradually decline in the middle and late this month, and the influenza activity level may vary among different provinces.

In order to better meet the medical needs of the people, the National Health Commission has guided local governments to coordinate medical resources, expand the supply of medical services, optimize service processes, and work with relevant departments to ensure the storage and supply of medicines. At present, there is no obvious shortage of medical resources, and the production, supply and inventory of relevant key drugs are generally normal.

The recent influenza is generally lower than

Same period last year

Gao Xinqiang, deputy director of the Medical Emergency Department of the National Health Commission, said that monitoring shows that the recent influenza season is relatively high, but it has not exceeded the level of last year's epidemic season. The number of patients in fever clinics and emergency rooms across the country has shown a certain degree of upward trend, but is generally lower than the same period last year, and there is no obvious shortage of medical resources.

All are known pathogens

No new infectious diseases have emerged

Wang Liping, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that it is currently the peak season for respiratory infectious diseases, and a variety of pathogens may cause respiratory infectious diseases. Monitoring shows that influenza is the main disease that causes patients with acute respiratory infections to visit medical institutions.

Monitoring data show that influenza is in a seasonal epidemic period recently, and the epidemic intensity is at a medium level in most provinces. At present, the rising trend of influenza positivity rate has slowed down. As primary and secondary schools in various places have successively closed for holidays, it is expected that the level of influenza activity may decline in the middle and late part of this month. Human metapneumovirus is not a new virus and has been with humans for at least several decades. Due to the development of detection methods, there have been more and more related reports in recent years. At present, the positive rate of human metapneumovirus detection is fluctuating at a platform, and the positive rate in cases aged 14 and below has begun to decline. The positive rate of respiratory syncytial virus has fluctuated and increased in the 0-4 age group.

**The positive rates of rhinovirus, mycoplasma pneumoniae, and adenovirus tests are on a downward trend. **Other respiratory pathogens such as the new coronavirus are at a low epidemic level. Overall, this winter and spring will still show an alternating or overlapping epidemic situation, but they are all known pathogens, no new infectious diseases have appeared, and the overall epidemic intensity and medical pressure will not be higher than last year.
The dominant strain of influenza currently circulating

It is the subtype of influenza A (H1N1)

Wang Liping, a researcher at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, introduced that the results of influenza monitoring in my country show that the dominant strain of influenza currently circulating is the influenza A (H1N1) subtype. The National Influenza Center of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention conducted antigenic analysis on the influenza A (H1N1) virus isolated recently, indicating that it has a good match with this year's influenza vaccine strain and that vaccination is effective; drug resistance analysis indicates that the currently circulating influenza virus is sensitive to antiviral drugs and that drug treatment is effective. Influenza can generally heal itself in 1-2 weeks, but if a high fever occurs, accompanied by severe coughing, difficulty breathing, changes in consciousness, severe vomiting and diarrhea, etc., you should seek medical attention in time. Pregnant women, children, the elderly and patients with chronic diseases, who are at high risk of influenza, are more likely to develop severe symptoms after being infected with influenza, and it is recommended that you seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

It is recommended that all people over 6 months old should receive the flu vaccine every year unless they have any contraindications, such as allergies to the ingredients in the vaccine. For those who have not received the flu vaccine this year, they can still receive it now, because the flu vaccine can provide a certain degree of protection throughout the epidemic season. As long as the flu virus is still actively spreading and easy to be infected, vaccination can reduce the risk of infection with the flu virus, reduce the severity of infection, and reduce the occurrence of complications.

Respiratory disease related drugs

Overall, the supply is sufficient

Recently, respiratory diseases such as influenza have been prevalent, and the public's demand for medicines has increased significantly. What is the overall production and supply situation of related drugs?

Wang Xiaoyang, deputy director of the Department of Consumer Goods Industry of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, introduced that my country is a major pharmaceutical industry country with 12,500 pharmaceutical companies above designated size. The industry chain is resilient, with large production capacity and great potential for expansion. It has the ability to increase production rapidly and on a large scale, especially for respiratory diseases. The drugs are complete in variety and have large production capacity and output, which can meet the relevant needs. From the perspective of production and supply, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has systematically sorted out the production capacity and output of antipyretics, analgesics, antibiotics, traditional Chinese medicine, small molecule antiviral drugs related to respiratory diseases such as influenza. Overall, the supply is sufficient and the market is stable. For example, the daily production capacity of oseltamivir phosphate is 1.56 million servings and the inventory exceeds 47 million servings, of which the granular dosage form for children exceeds 16 million servings; the daily production capacity of Lianhua Qingwen is 120 million tablets and the inventory exceeds 86 million boxes; the daily production capacity of ibuprofen reaches 150 million tablets, and preparations for increased production and expansion have been made.

Flu medicines are prescription drugs

Not recommended for self-use

Xu Baoping, chief physician at Beijing Children's Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, said that anti-influenza drugs are prescription drugs. If you suspect you have the flu, you should go to the hospital in time and use the drugs according to the doctor's prescription. Early use of antiviral drugs can effectively inhibit the replication and spread of the virus, effectively shorten the duration and course of the flu, and effectively prevent flu complications and severe illness. However, it is not recommended to use prescription drugs on your own.

Respiratory infections in children are mainly caused by viruses. Most of them do not have specific antiviral drugs. Symptomatic treatment is the main treatment. Commonly used drugs include antipyretics, expectorants and some Chinese patent medicines with heat-clearing and detoxifying effects. The recommended antipyretics for children are acetaminophen and ibuprofen. It is emphasized that children should use cough suppressants with caution, unless they have a severe dry cough that affects the child's rest and sleep. Parents are advised to observe whether their children have sputum. Once this occurs, cough suppressants should be discontinued in time and replaced with expectorants.

When giving medication to children, be sure to read the instructions and precautions carefully, whether it can be taken with food, etc. Pay attention to the accuracy of the dosage of the medication. Children's medication is calculated based on age and weight, and it cannot be overdosed. Some children have a high fever that does not subside, and parents are anxious. Some increase the dosage of antipyretics for their children. Increasing the dosage of the medication will increase adverse reactions, so the dosage and frequency of medication must not be increased at will.

Source: CCTV News, Xinhua News Agency, Beijing Evening News