In recent days, there has been a major outbreak of influenza in various regions of mainland China. Currently, many provinces and cities have announced school closures due to a high number of students infected, causing panic among parents. A doctor in Liaoning revealed that most of the patients admitted to hospitals in recent days have been diagnosed with influenza A.
In Kunming, a student named Xiao Ming (pseudonym) has already seen his class suspended. He recently told a reporter, “The school principal said that the outbreak of influenza A required suspending classes. Out of over forty classes in the school, only 13 are still in session, while the rest have been suspended.”
Xiao Ming further explained, “When the notification was first issued, it stated that the 8th and 9th-grade classes would have a two-day break, and the 7th-grade class would have a four-day break. However, after they stayed at home for two days, the school sent another notification, extending the suspension of classes to next week.”
Currently, Xiao Ming is taking online classes at home, unsure when regular classes will resume. He said, “There are 13 students in our class (infected with the flu). If another student is confirmed to be infected during the online classes period, the class suspension will be extended by two days.”
Xiao Ming mentioned that hospitals are crowded, and people are staying home, avoiding going to hospitals.
On October 28, a mother in Kunming disclosed online that over half of the students in her child’s class had taken sick leave due to influenza.
Another student in Kunming said online, “The school initially did not suspend classes, but as soon as a severe case was detected in our class, (the school) immediately announced suspending classes upon our return.”
Local students also reported that now the schools are disinfected every night.
On the internet, there have been reports of many Sichuan students being quarantined. On October 28, a teacher in Sichuan mentioned on social media that there have been many cases of the flu in schools, “Many high school students have taken leave, and several classes have been quarantined because the number of cases exceeds half, isolating them in a corner away from the teaching area and providing them with separate meals.”
A Sichuan mother also commented, “Several classes in both of my children’s schools are now under ‘bubble management’ due to the high incidence of influenza. In the past couple of years during the flu season, there was no quarantine like this, and it seems more concentrated and widespread.”
She added, “Every day we receive several messages from the school about infectious diseases and quarantines, including influenza, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, and tonsillitis.”
Similarly, there have been reports of class closures in Xinjiang. On October 29, a parent in Urumqi disclosed in a parent group, “More than 30 out of the 40 students in my child’s class have caught a cold, so the classes have shifted to online learning.”
Another parent responded, “Our 3rd-grade class was suspended for two days and resumed today, but there are still over 20 children on sick leave.”
A mother with two children added, “My eldest child’s 4th-grade class had two days of online learning last week, and now my youngest child’s class has started suspending classes, with over ten children on sick leave.”
Another parent, Tie Shan from the New District of Xinjiang, noted, “Last week my children had three days of suspended classes and took online lessons.”
Multiple parents have shared similar information online, with one mother under the name “Nana” saying, “The class suspensions are not rumors; although not all classes are affected, a significant portion is. At my son’s school, two classes were suspended the day before yesterday, and his class was suspended yesterday.”
Another parent under the pseudonym “Momo” also mentioned, “My son has been taking online classes since the day before yesterday.”
A student under the pseudonym “Lingling” revealed online, “All grades in our 5th-grade class have had their classes suspended.”
In the northeastern three provinces, reports of influenza outbreaks have emerged. On October 29, Mr. Yang from Jilin revealed online that almost the entire class of their child had fallen ill, with 37 out of 40 students taking sick leave.
On October 28, a mother in Changchun mentioned that many children in her child’s class were coughing. Another mother replied, “My child has been coughing every day, and the cough gets worse at night. We’ve tried medications and massage, but the cough persists.”
A parent from Liaoning shared, “My child has been hospitalized for five days with intravenous fluids, but the test results show infection with three major viruses.”
Not only children but also parents infected by their children appear to have more severe symptoms. A mother disclosed online, “My child was diagnosed with influenza A in the hospital, with only high fever and chills, but now I’m feeling feverish, with headache, body aches, and even vomiting, it’s quite serious.”
Another mother responded, “Adults are experiencing severe symptoms too; I have joint pain and feel completely exhausted.”
Yet another mother added, “I feel like my symptoms are worse than my child’s; my bones ache, my skin hurts, and everything aches.”
Dr. Liang Shijia, a pediatric specialist at Chaoyang Central Hospital in Liaoning, publicly disclosed online on October 29, “The defenses have been breached, the defenses have been breached, the northern flu season has arrived too early this year, and almost all the patients admitted in the past two days have influenza A.”
He emphasized, “There are cases of high fever, diarrhea dehydration, lower limb weakness, respiratory tract infections, and lung infections. Although the influenza A has been spreading, it is still necessary to vaccinate as soon as possible.”
According to a report from China’s “Shangguan News” a week ago, the flu season arrived early this year, with an expected increase in the number of infections. The predominant strain reported this year is type A H3N2, whereas last year’s was type A H1N1, meaning the public’s immunity to this year’s H3N2 strain may be lower, warranting more attention.
Dr. Jonathan Liu, a professor at the Canadian College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, stated to Dajiyuan that compared to last year’s H1N1, this year’s H3N2 is definitely more virulent. This virus not only presents respiratory symptoms but can also cause gastrointestinal symptoms and potentially affect the central nervous system.
He warned, “The central nervous system can cause encephalitis or Guillain-Barré syndrome, which can lead to death, especially in children and the elderly.”
Furthermore, he stressed, “Of course, the possibility of co-infection with other mixed viruses cannot be ruled out because the novel coronavirus has continued to spread and is no longer being tested in mainland China. Therefore, the possibility of simultaneous infection with the novel coronavirus cannot be excluded among certain populations.”
Health professionals in mainland China have expressed concerns to Dajiyuan that while the official announcement is for H3N2, there is a possibility of newer strains circulating.
On October 29, Mrs. Chen from Guangdong shared that during the previous outbreak, her children did not require hospitalization, but this year, they were admitted due to influenza A infections.