Wuhan Sees New Round of Flu Outbreak

‘The problem is the Chinese government didn’t provide systematic data for the outside world to understand what is the real situation,’ said Sean Lin.

Medical workers take swab samples from residents to be tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus, in a street in Wuhan in China's central Hubei province on May 15, 2020. STR/AFP via Getty Images

Wuhan is experiencing a new round of influenza outbreaks at the five-year mark of COVID-19, with some schools suspending classes.

According to the latest data from Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the positivity rate for influenza viruses is continuing to rise, with over 99 percent being influenza A, the state-run China Central Television reported on Jan. 5. Disease control departments across the country have also issued health advisories.

On Dec. 30, 2024, the Wuhan municipal government reposted a local media article titled “Highly Contagious and Prone to Mutation! Wuhan CDC Issues Reminder,” stating that the city has entered a peak period for respiratory diseases, with influenza viruses being the primary pathogens.

Chen Banghua, a representative from the Wuhan CDC, explained that influenza spreads through various channels and is highly contagious. Asymptomatic carriers of the influenza virus are common, accounting for up to 30 percent of cases.

However, the online discussion among parents in Wuhan indicate that multiple viruses besides influenza A are spreading simultaneously.

On Jan. 1, a mother in Wuhan shared online, “Norovirus, influenza A, and COVID-19 are all circulating. In our family of four, three caught norovirus, and one got influenza A.”

Another Wuhan mother responded to the post, “I have influenza A, and my child has norovirus. I hadn’t recovered from influenza A when I caught norovirus from my child. That’s how I spent the last day of 2024.”

On Jan. 2, a parent from Wuchang District in Wuhan told The Epoch Times that many students at her child’s school were infected. Three classes in the third grade had to suspend classes, and her child’s fourth-grade class was also affected, with over 30 students taking sick leave before the New Year holiday.

“Most cases are influenza A, but my child was fortunate to have a bacterial bronchitis infection instead, though it was still severe, with a completely swollen throat and a high fever of 39.6°C,” she said.

Schools Suspend Classes

On Dec. 28, 2024, an online message circulated among Wuhan parents indicated that an influenza outbreak had led several primary schools to suspend classes.

The message cited internal news from a primary school in Jiang'an District and urged parents to stay vigilant, take protective measures, and try to avoid illnesses that could affect midterm exams.

On Jan. 1, a Wuhan parent commented on the post, saying that over 100 of the 300 children in their child’s kindergarten had already taken sick leave.

A parent from Jiang'an District commented on Dec. 27, 2024, “We had three days of online classes this week.”

Expert: No Need for Panic

Sean Lin—a microbiologist, assistant professor of Biomedical Science, and member of the Committee on the Present Danger: China, who has been monitoring the situation in China—advised the Chinese public not to panic.

“We do see in China many big hospitals have a lot of children going to see the doctors, more hospitalizations, more respiratory infections that need secondary care ... We see these kinds of reports but a lot of these are sporadic on the internet,” he told New Tang Dynasty (NTD) TV, the sister media of The Epoch Times on Jan. 5.

“The problem is the Chinese government didn’t provide systematic data for the outside world to understand what is the real situation.”

“For the general public, the first thing is [you] don’t have to be panicked,” he added. “[You] need to be cautious, to do more regular exercises, have a good rest, and try to be more optimistic—that will also boost your immune system. And then you have a healthy diet ... and do regular hygiene protections: washing hands more or wearing a mask in some public gatherings.”

Lin attributed the apparent high severity of flu symptoms in China to the Chinese population’s weakened immune system after COVID-19.

“Because many people had multiple COVID infections, many people have maybe long COVID, many people have even Chinese versions of vaccine side effects, so I think many Chinese people have a weakened immune system. That’s why even just a regular respiratory pathogen like RSV, mycoplasma pneumoniae, or HMPV ... it can cause more people to be more sick than many other countries,” he said.

“I think that’s what’s unique inside China.”