A flu-like viral disease has surged in China in recent months, particularly infecting children, raising concerns about its potential spread.

Cases of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) have also been reported from India amid seasonal winter patterns of a rise in respiratory illnesses.

The surge of the cases in early December has raised global health concerns five years after the Covid-19 pandemic erupted in China. Both Beijing and the World Health Organization (WHO) have tried to allay concerns in recent days.