DOH: disease outbreak in China not confirmed

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 3 January) – Social media posts regarding an “international health concern” caused by an alleged outbreak of illnesses with flu-like symptoms in China are not reliable, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday.

Davao City residents queue for Covid-19 vaccine at the People’s Park during the height of the pandemic. MindaNews file photo by MANMAN DEJETO

The DOH issued the statement after several posts on social media that the rapid spread of influenza A, Human metapneumovirus (HMPV), Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Covid-19 have overwhelmed hospitals in China.

The DOH stressed that there was “no confirmation from either the cited country or the World Health Organization (WHO)” and assured the public that the Philippine government’s disease surveillance systems were in place and working.

It said the Philippines is an active participant in the network of member states of the WHO that follow the International Health Regulations (IHR).

The IHR is an established system that provides reliable updates about international health concerns.

The health department actively verifies all information and keeps the public informed, it said.

It also appealed to the public to avoid sharing contents from “questionable websites or online sources.”

“Let us not spread misinformation and confusion,” it said.

Last Dec. 30, 2024, the WHO called on China to share access and data on Covid-19 origins.

“This is a moral and scientific imperative. Without transparency, sharing, and cooperation among countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics,” the DOH said.

Covid-19, which was caused by SARS-CoV 2, brought the world to a standstill as travel restrictions and other strict measures to prevent the spread of the disease were enforced.

As of Dec. 15, 2024, the WHO reported 777 million Covid-19 cases and 7.1 million deaths across 240 countries since cases were first confirmed in Wuhan City, Hubei, China, in January 2020. In the Philippines, the WHO recorded 4.1 million cases and 66,900 deaths for the same period.

According to a WHO report on the “Origin of SARS-CoV-2” released on March 26, 2020, all SARS-CoV-2 isolated from humans to date are closely related genetically to coronaviruses isolated from bat populations, specifically bats from the genus Rhinolophus, found across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)