Jakarta -Not long ago, a video went viral on social media showing a surge in patient queues at a major hospital in China. It was later discovered that these patients were exposed to respiratory diseases, including influenza A and human metapneumovirus (hMPV).
There are concerns that the case is also starting to spread widely outside of China, including Indonesia.
The spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Health, drg Widyawati, MKM, stated that so far no outbreak similar to that in China has been found. Quoting data from the World Health Organization (WHO), Widyawati emphasized that the surge in influenza and hMPV cases is only spreading in China.
From the data we have gathered, particularly from the WHO, as of now, cases of influenza A and HMPV are still spreading only in the region of China.
“Type A influenza cases for the H5N1 variant occurred in Indonesia from 2005 to 2017,” he explained in his official statement, quoted on Tuesday (2/1/2025).
“However, since 2018, there have been no new cases in humans.” For the H5N6 and H9N2 variants, several cases have been reported in China, but neither variant has ever been reported in Indonesia,” he continued.
Epidemiologist Dicky Budiman from Griffith University Australia stated that both the influenza A virus and hMPV are not new viruses. Both of these respiratory diseases have been spreading for a long time and fall into the endemic category, persisting and continuously appearing in certain regions.
Influenza A virus is one of the virus variants that is being closely monitored because it is feared to pose a risk of triggering a pandemic if it spreads widely among humans.
“This is what is feared when talking about influenza A.” So it is said to be serious, it is indeed serious. However, at this moment, it is at a level that is not yet dangerous or has not yet raised concerns, actually,” he said again.
Unlike hMPV, this respiratory virus discovered in 2001 is the same as RSV or respiratory syncytial virus. More prone to attack children, but it can also spread among adults when their immunity decreases.
“Well, if these two diseases reach Indonesia, there will certainly still be imported cases.” Especially through international travelers or travelers specifically from East Asia,” he said.
“However, with once again controlling borders and health protocols, the risk of a major outbreak can certainly be minimized.” Especially in Indonesia, people should have already started getting used to updating or boosting their immunity with vaccinations,” he concluded.
