China has become the latest country to report cases of mpox. In a statement issued on Thursday (9 January), Chinese health authorities confirmed the detection of the Clade Ib variant in a foreign national who had recently travelled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Four additional cases have since been identified, all linked to close contact with the initial patient.

The Clade Ib variant, first identified in the DRC in 2024, spreads more easily through close contact, including sexual transmission. It has also been reported in other affected countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and northern hemisphere nations such as the UK, Germany, and Sweden.

In response to this development, China has classified mpox as a Category B infectious disease, enabling authorities to implement emergency measures such as restricting gatherings, suspending work or school, and sealing off affected areas.

This notification comes as China faces scrutiny over a separate outbreak of human metapneumovirus (HMPV), a seasonal respiratory illness. Concerns were raised in early December after the country reported a surge in HMPV cases. However, authorities have reassured the public that the incidence remains consistent with typical seasonal patterns observed in the northern hemisphere. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed today that it has been in contact with Chinese health authorities and has received no reports of unusual outbreak patterns.

While comparisons to the COVID-19 pandemic may arise, HMPV is a well-known seasonal virus first identified in the Netherlands in 2001. It is common, with nearly all children infected by the age of five. Similar seasonal increases in HMPV cases have also been reported in other countries, including India.

South African experts have addressed concerns about the potential importation of respiratory illnesses from China. The Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases has assessed the risk of importing HMPV as low.

South Africa’s robust syndromic respiratory illness surveillance system, along with the Outbreak Response Unit’s event-based surveillance, continues to monitor disease patterns closely to ensure early detection and response to any unusual developments.



For more information regarding the HMPV in South Africa 
NICD | Human Metapneumovirus (HMPV) updates


This story was compiled from various resources, including:

10 January 2024 | Reuters | China in contact with WHO on respiratory diseases, foreign ministry says

7 January 2025 | WHO |  Trends of acute respiratory infection, including human metapneumovirus, in the Northern Hemisphere

8 January 2025 | Aljazeera | What is HMPV, the respiratory virus surging in China?



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