The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Friday that it maintains close contact with the World Health Organization regarding respiratory diseases, in response to a question about the increasing cases of infection with the virus that causes human pneumonia (HMBV) in China.
Ministry spokesman Guo Jiaqun stated – in a regular press conference – that the government takes the health of its people and the health of foreign nationals in the country seriously, but this virus is not new, and has been spreading among humans for more than 60 years.
China’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention said – in its latest report – that virus infections are still at high levels. This is consistent with infections in other regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
The spokesman added, “Infection with the virus shows that it is a self-limiting disease. It is disturbing to exaggerate the description of common viruses as unknown viruses, which contradicts sound scientific logic.”
The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that it was in contact with health officials in China and that it had not received any reports of unusual outbreak patterns.