The Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday that it had maintained close communication with the World Health Organization (WHO) on respiratory diseases, when asked about the rising cases of the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China.

The WHO has downplayed concerns over a rise in HMPV cases, saying outbreaks are normal during winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

A top Civil Affairs Ministry official stressed new reforms must be rolled out over the next decade to be effective.

China's central bank said on Friday it has suspended treasury bond purchases, triggering a jump in yields and spurring speculation that the move was aimed at defending a falling currency.

As China continues to monitor an increase in cases of human metapneumovirus (HMPV), here's what you need to know about the illness.

China has detected the new mutated strain of the mpox virus, as the pathogen spreads to more geographies after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak in Africa a new global health emergency last year.

A Congolese health official administers a mpox vaccination to a Congolese Red Cross worker, a key step in efforts to contain an outbreak that has spread from its epicentre, at a hospital in Goma, North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo October 5, 2024. PHOTO/REUTERS

Chinese government prioritizes health of citizens and foreigners, monitoring HMPV cases closely with WHO, according to foreign ministry.

The Chinese government takes the health of its people and that of foreign nationals in China seriously, but the HMPV is not a new virus and has been circulating in humans for more than 60 years, Guo Jiakun, a foreign ministry spokesperson, said at a regular news conference.

Does anyone at the World Health Organization understand that China doesn't want to help anyone investigate COVID-19 or do anything else?

Marking five years since Covid emerged, the WHO says China should share data as "a moral and scientific imperative".