Five years after the initial outbreak of COVID-19 in China's Wuhan province, a new respiratory virus is straining the Chinese healthcare system to the point of paralysis, with experts fearing we may be heading toward another international health crisis.
The virus, known in the medical community as HMPV (Human Metapneumovirus), has shown an alarming surge in infections across China's northern and colder regions since the end of summer.
According to Chinese health authorities, the virus is spreading rapidly and, unlike COVID-19, primarily infects and affects children and teenagers. The virus's development has led to severe overcrowding in northern hospitals in recent weeks, with some provinces implementing emergency protocols similar to those used during the COVID period.
Images of overcrowded hospital wards showing doctors in protective equipment, masks, and oxygen supplies alongside children on ventilators or struggling to breathe without them have leaked to social media platforms outside China. These documentations have caused widespread concern on social media, with their similarity to the COVID period raising alarm among many parents.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to the concerning reports with a brief statement: "Respiratory viruses tend to peak with the onset of winter season." Western sources worry that, similar to the early COVID period before international exposure, the Chinese are attempting to downplay the severity of the situation.
The Israeli Ministry of Health stated that this virus is a known phenomenon, has been present in Israel for several years, and is under regular monitoring.
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