Chinese health authorities have reported the detection of a new mutated mpox strain, clade Ib, as the viral infection spreads to more countries. The World Health Organization declared mpox a global public health emergency last year. On Thursday, China’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed the detection of this new mpox strain.

A recent increase in cases of the human metapneumovirus (hMPV) in China has been misrepresented on social media as evidence of a new virus spreading in the country with some posts claiming it prompted China to declare a state of emergency.

Cases of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and other seasonal viruses are on the rise across the northern hemisphere in early 2025, according to the World Health Organization. While news reports and social media videos have caused concern about a potential HMPV outbreak in China,

As China continues to monitor an increase in cases of human metapneumovirus (HMPV), here's what you need to know about the illness.

China has detected the new mutated strain of the mpox virus, as the pathogen spreads to more geographies after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak in Africa a new global health emergency last year.

The World Health Organization has released a statement on the reported outbreak of human metapneumovirus in China and elsewhere.

China has not declared a state of emergency. PolitiFact checked multiple Chinese and U.S. government websites and found no public health emergency announcements. One of the respiratory viruses social media posts are spotlighting is human metapneumovirus, or HMPV, which was discovered in 2001. It causes coldlike symptoms and most cases are mild.

Rising cases of common respiratory illnesses in China and elsewhere around the Northern Hemisphere are within the range expected for winter, with no unusual outbreaks reported, the World Health Organization said.

China has reported a cluster of mpox infections linked to a foreign traveler who had recently visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

We simply cannot allow our resources to empower our rivals while we shoulder the burdens. A weaker, sicker and less prosperous country, a climate crisis spiralling out of control, and a more unstable world in exchange for wealthier Big Oil and Gas CEOs? That is a trade no leader should make.

The World Health Organization reported that in some countries in the temperate Northern hemisphere, influenza-like illness and/or acute respiratory infection rates have increased in recent weeks and are above baseline levels,