China says fewer flu cases this time of year than in 2024, no new virus going around

Assurance from National Health Commission comes amid fears of surging respiratory illness, with disease expert citing slowing trend

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Children wait to be seen at the paediatric department of a hospital in eastern China last week. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:50pm, 12 Jan 2025Updated: 7:56pm, 12 Jan 2025

China has seen fewer flu cases so far this year compared to the same time a year ago, and no new infectious disease has been detected, according to the country’s health authorities.

The assurance comes after an uptick in human metapneumovirus (HMPV) cases sparked fears of surging respiratory illness in China.

Despite its being the peak season for influenza, the number of flu cases and hospitalisations were lower year on year and the hospital system was not under strain, National Health Commission (NHC) officials said at a press conference in Beijing.

“Recent monitoring shows an upward trend in flu-related outpatient and emergency visits nationwide, but overall numbers are still below last year’s levels,” said Gao Xinqiang, deputy director of the NHC’s medical emergency department.

“We have not observed significant pressure on healthcare resources,” he said.

The flu virus positive rate among outpatient and emergency cases rose by 3.8 per cent in the first week of 2025 compared with the previous week, according to the latest data.

Although positivity rates were climbing, the trend had started to slow, Wang Liping, a researcher at the NHC’s Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, told the same press conference.