China expects relatively mild spring and summer epidemic season

China is expected to see a relatively mild spring and summer epidemic season, with multiple infectious diseases coexisting at low levels, a disease control official said Thursday.

Addressing a news conference convened by the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, Liu Qing, deputy director of the infectious disease control department of the administration, said with continued preventive measures, the overall epidemic situation will be stable and controllable nationwide.

Acute respiratory infections, including influenza, are about to decline to non-epidemic levels by April, except that COVID-19 will continue its mild fluctuating trend, Liu said.

Measles cases have risen compared to last year, with a peak expected to reach from March to May, but overall levels will remain low, Liu added.

Mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever are entering their epidemic season, with increased risk of imported cases. Dengue fever may see a rise in local cases and outbreaks in some provinces from April to May, Liu noted.

Enteric diseases such as norovirus and hand-foot-mouth disease will follow a similar trend to previous years, with norovirus declining after April and hand-foot-mouth disease increasing, Liu said.

Emerging infectious diseases such as monkeypox and avian influenza in humans will continue to appear sporadically and at low levels, according to Liu.