Acute Respiratory Infections Increase in Many Northern Countries: WHO

Respiratory Syncytial Virus activity was found to have decreased in most regions except in North America.

A baby wearing a face mask waits with family members at the pediatric department of a hospital in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, on Jan. 6, 2025. AFP

A surge of respiratory illness cases has been reported in several countries worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which also detailed the current situation in China, where there has been a jump in the number of infected people in the Northern provinces.

“Currently, in some countries in the temperate Northern hemisphere, influenza-like illness (ILI) and/or acute respiratory infection (ARI) rates have increased in recent weeks and are above baseline levels,” the WHO said in a Jan. 7 statement. The Northern Hemisphere spans from the equator to the North Pole and includes North America, Europe, and parts of Asia, Africa, and the top end of South America.