Jamaica‘s health officials are keeping a close watch on happenings in China where a virus is causing overcrowding in hospitals and is reported to have spread to India, Malaysia, and Kazakhstan.

The human metapneumovirus (HMPV) has seen a spike in cases across northern China, affecting children in particular. Photos and videos of people wearing masks in hospitals have so far emerged on social media platforms.

On Monday, the Jamaica Observer spoke to the island’s Minister of Health and Wellness Dr Christopher Tufton just before he and officials of his ministry went into a meeting on the matter.

“Coming out of that meeting I will get a better brief. What we can say is that we are monitoring the situation. We are not yet in a position to give more than what we are picking up through that monitoring process and the conversations we are having with our multilateral partners — the World Health Organization (WHO) and PAHO (Pan American Health Organization) in particular. That’s normally where some of those decisions are taken based on their extensive reach in these jurisdictions and the conversations that they have with respective governments,” Tufton said.

“We will have more to say later this week. We’re not yet in a position to issue any adverse warning except that it is being monitored and we’ll get more particulars and comment later,” he added.

“For now we are really monitoring, consulting, and preparing, just in case, but this is not an advisory that represents any kind of emergency scenario — not as yet.

“These things are evolving on a daily basis and so our consultation could lead to very short notification, if necessary.

”If there is a need to provide further developments it would start with the prime minister and Cabinet and then to the country,” Tufton added.

The current outbreak comes five years after the world was forced into lockdowns and restrictions due to the emergence of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in China, which eventually mushroomed into a pandemic that caused more than seven million deaths worldwide.

On Sunday, Britain’s Independent newspaper reported that Chinese health authorities are implementing measures to monitor and manage the spread of HMPV. At the same time, it said that Beijing has managed to downplay the developments as an annual winter occurrence.

The Independent reported that last Friday the Chinese foreign ministry issued a statement saying that respiratory infections tend to peak during the winter season.

HMPV is a respiratory disease that causes flu or cold-like symptoms. However, it can increase risks or lead to more serious complications like bronchitis or pneumonia, particularly among the elderly, young children, and immuno-compromised people.

The virus is not new but has gained attention amid a surge in cases, particularly in children under 14 in northern China.

First identified in 2001, HMPV is a single-stranded RNA virus that spreads through respiratory droplets or contact with contaminated surfaces. The infections have been previously identified in various countries, including the United Kingdom, the Independent reported.

Symptoms include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and fatigue, with an incubation period of three to six days. Unlike COVID-19, there is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for HMPV. Treatment primarily involves managing symptoms.

China’s National Disease Control and Prevention Administration recently reported an increase in respiratory infections, including HMPV, during the winter. The WHO has not flagged the situation as a global health emergency, but the rise in cases has prompted authorities to bolster monitoring systems.

The HMPV outbreak comes as the United States (US) Government announced last Friday that it will allocate US$306 million to bolster the nation’s bird flu response before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

The US has reported 66 human cases of bird flu since the start of 2024, though experts believe the true number could be higher, with cases potentially going undetected among cattle and poultry workers.

While the virus has not been found to spread from person to person, the amount of bird flu circulating among animals and humans has alarmed scientists, because it might combine with seasonal influenza and mutate into a more transmissible form — potentially triggering a deadly pandemic.

The funding announcement comes amid concern over how the incoming Trump Administration will handle the threat.

Trump told Time magazine recently he would abolish the Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy established under outgoing President Joe Biden, though it is not clear if he has the authority to do so, since it was created by Congress.

His pick for health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, is a vocal vaccine sceptic who has pledged to shake up America’s health agencies and promotes raw milk, thought to be a vector for bird flu.

The new funding will support national, state, and local preparedness and monitoring programmes as well as research into potential medical countermeasures against the H5N1 virus (avian influenza).

“While the risk to humans remains low, we are always preparing for any possible scenario that could arise,” Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.