The world is on edge as disturbing reports from China hint at a possible new outbreak, with hospitals and crematoriums allegedly buckling under the weight of rising cases and deaths. Despite mounting evidence, Chinese officials are downplaying the situation — a chilling echo of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unconfirmed reports suggest the mystery illness, believed to be linked to the human metapneumovirus (HMPV), is spreading rapidly. While HMPV typically causes mild cold-like symptoms, accounts of long lines of sick children and adults flooding medical facilities paint a far grimmer picture.

Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry, tried to dismiss concerns, saying: “Respiratory infections tend to peak during the winter season… The diseases appear to be less severe and spread on a smaller scale compared to the previous year. It is safe to travel in China.”

However, independent reports tell a different story. Aboluowang News cited a farmer from Hunan Province who claimed that several deaths had occurred in his area, involving individuals as young as 40. A funeral director described long lines at crematoriums, likening the scene to a festival market — except it was grieving families, not shoppers, filling the queues.

Unverified footage circulating online shows crowded hospitals and patients desperate for care.

The chilling accounts are unsettlingly reminiscent of the COVID cover-up that preceded a global pandemic, which cost over seven million lives worldwide. Critics warn that China’s lack of transparency could once again delay critical international responses.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently urged China to share more data, but Beijing’s silence has been deafening.

Meanwhile, the United States is experiencing a significant increase in cases of human metapneumovirus (HMPV), with the percentage of positive tests doubling throughout December, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

By the last week of December, nearly 300 positive cases were reported, marking the most recent figures available.

HMPV, first identified in 2001, typically presents with symptoms similar to the common cold. However, in some cases, the virus can lead to more severe respiratory conditions, including bronchitis, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia. Severe cases may result in shortness of breath, intense coughing, or wheezing.

Children, elderly individuals, and those with weakened immune systems are at the highest risk of developing serious complications from the virus.

Although the mortality rate for HMPV is not precisely known due to its generally mild nature, experts estimate that between 10 to 30 percent of hospitalized patients die from complications.

Similar to COVID-19, HMPV spreads primarily through respiratory droplets released when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The virus can also be transmitted through close personal contact, such as handshakes, or by touching contaminated surfaces.

Research suggests that HMPV is responsible for approximately one in ten respiratory illnesses in US children. Common symptoms include fever, cough, congestion, and shortness of breath. The CDC estimates that around 20,000 children under the age of five are hospitalized with HMPV annually.

Currently, there are no vaccines or specific antiviral treatments available for HMPV.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)