Logovideo to article
00:00 - 00:03

it's time for truth or

00:06 - 00:13

fake Kina marand Abu is here in studio

00:10 - 00:15

Catalina in today's edition the hmpv

00:13 - 00:18

virus outbreak in northern China some

00:15 - 00:20

users are claiming that a new lockdown

00:18 - 00:22

is upon us tell us more about what

00:20 - 00:24

they're saying that's right Sharon a

00:22 - 00:28

surge in cases of the flu like human

00:24 - 00:30

numo virus also known as hmpv in China

00:28 - 00:34

has raised fears of another Co style

00:30 - 00:36

pandemic according to this Chinese CDC

00:34 - 00:40

statement actually since last December

00:36 - 00:43

cases of hmpv amongst people under 14

00:40 - 00:46

years old especially Northern China and

00:43 - 00:48

provinces were trending upwards the talk

00:46 - 00:50

of this virus is shaking up social

00:48 - 00:52

networks with talks of states of

00:50 - 00:54

emergency lockdowns mortality rates

00:52 - 00:56

let's take a look at some of these

00:54 - 00:59

alarmist claims going around starting

00:56 - 01:02

with the local situation in China where

00:59 - 01:05

this from January 7th this user says

01:02 - 01:08

schools in China close as hmpv

01:05 - 01:10

infections surge where we see in the

01:08 - 01:13

photo added the similar scenes from the

01:10 - 01:15

ones we lived throughout the covid-19

01:13 - 01:19

pandemic while users also claim that a

01:15 - 01:21

state of emergency has been declared in

01:19 - 01:23

China as the epidemic overwhelms

01:21 - 01:26

hospitals and crematoriums with a mix of

01:23 - 01:29

multiple viruses spreading R rapidly

01:26 - 01:32

across the country then other users also

01:29 - 01:35

say that the mortality rate of this

01:32 - 01:39

virus reached a staggering

01:35 - 01:42

43% uh as this user says pandemic 2.0

01:39 - 01:44

has begun as it seems more than we found

01:42 - 01:46

at least more than 50 accounts on Tik

01:44 - 01:49

Tok that have been posting more alarmist

01:46 - 01:51

content for instance this one a warning

01:49 - 01:52

of an alleged lockdown that will take

01:51 - 01:54

place here in France following

01:52 - 01:57

announcements from president Emanuel

01:54 - 01:59

Macon content also vaguely citing

01:57 - 02:02

official sources in China and Europe

01:59 - 02:03

without cling them explicitly uh as the

02:02 - 02:06

same claims have also been been made in

02:03 - 02:08

English in Tik Tok following the threat

02:06 - 02:10

of the spread of this what they call a

02:08 - 02:12

new virus take us through some of the

02:10 - 02:14

details then Catalina have you been able

02:12 - 02:18

to debunk these

02:14 - 02:20

claims uh well let's begin with this

02:18 - 02:23

image uh of emergency workers we

02:20 - 02:25

conducted a reverse image search and we

02:23 - 02:29

found that this photo was actually taken

02:25 - 02:32

by AFP journalists it was taken in 20222

02:29 - 02:34

in Beijing during the actual covid-19

02:32 - 02:36

pandemic so already a photo that has

02:34 - 02:39

been misc captioned on social media to

02:36 - 02:43

alarm users about the current situation

02:39 - 02:46

in China where no state of emergency has

02:43 - 02:49

been declared so far the World Health

02:46 - 02:51

Organization issued a press release on

02:49 - 02:53

January 7th saying that Chinese

02:51 - 02:56

authorities report that their Health

02:53 - 02:58

Care system is not overwhelmed per these

02:56 - 03:00

claims that we just saw that there has

02:58 - 03:03

been no emergency declarations or

03:00 - 03:05

responses triggered by The Surge of this

03:03 - 03:07

virus there has also been no official

03:05 - 03:10

statement from French president Emanuel

03:07 - 03:13

maon or o other world leaders declaring

03:10 - 03:15

an upcoming lockdown due to the spread

03:13 - 03:17

of this virus and we actually found that

03:15 - 03:20

a large portion of the Tik Tok videos

03:17 - 03:23

and content like this one uh come from

03:20 - 03:25

for example parody accounts on Tik Tok

03:23 - 03:28

for example this one called P news that

03:25 - 03:31

describes itself even as the source of

03:28 - 03:33

disinformation on their caption with

03:31 - 03:35

extremely viral videos like the one we

03:33 - 03:38

just saw here's another example of

03:35 - 03:41

another lockdown fake lockdown uh video

03:38 - 03:43

of hmpv virus as social media has been

03:41 - 03:45

feeling this these fears of a new

03:43 - 03:48

pandemic with the surge of this virus in

03:45 - 03:49

northern China finally then Catalina

03:48 - 03:51

tell us a little bit more about the

03:49 - 03:55

virus itself mortality rates how it

03:51 - 03:57

spreads how to prevent it from spreading

03:55 - 03:59

we'll Begin by debunking the these

03:57 - 04:03

claims about the virus that reaches a

03:59 - 04:05

43% mortality rate we found this figure

04:03 - 04:07

in a study published in

04:05 - 04:10

2013 and while this study does reveal

04:07 - 04:13

that this mortality rates of this virus

04:10 - 04:16

at 100 days were 43% this rate only

04:13 - 04:18

concerns a specific population this

04:16 - 04:21

would be patients for example with

04:18 - 04:24

leukemia so there might be as usual a

04:21 - 04:25

high mortality rate for very high risk

04:24 - 04:28

groups like these but this mortality

04:25 - 04:29

rate does not apply to the general

04:28 - 04:33

population according to experts that

04:29 - 04:35

we've interviewed the hmpv Ros is also

04:33 - 04:37

nothing new contrary to lots of claims

04:35 - 04:40

that we've been seeing online it was

04:37 - 04:43

actually discovered back in 2001 so it's

04:40 - 04:45

been around uh humans for at least

04:43 - 04:49

several decades giving us time to create

04:45 - 04:51

these antibodies against the virus a

04:49 - 04:53

respiratory virus known to cause

04:51 - 04:56

symptoms similar to colds and to flu

04:53 - 04:58

such as fever runny nose uh coughing

04:56 - 05:01

normal that normally spreads faster

04:58 - 05:02

during these winter months Margaret

05:01 - 05:05

Harris from the World Health

05:02 - 05:08

Organization assures us that there's

05:05 - 05:10

currently no abnormal increase in this

05:08 - 05:12

virus not considered to be a health

05:10 - 05:15

threat that would require exceptional

05:12 - 05:17

measures such as a lockdown per the fake

05:15 - 05:19

claims for now there's actually no

05:17 - 05:22

vaccine against this virus experts

05:19 - 05:24

advise simple preventative measures such

05:22 - 05:26

as masks or sneezing into your elbow

05:24 - 05:29

washing your hands measures that we

05:26 - 05:32

learned throughout the covid-19 pandemic

05:29 - 05:34

as Health officials in China have

05:32 - 05:37

declared on Sunday that the rate of the

05:34 - 05:40

hmpv infections has in northern China

05:37 - 05:43

has decreased are declining amid this

05:40 - 05:45

concern over a potential new pandemic

05:43 - 05:46

Catalina thanks for taking us through

05:45 - 05:49

all of that that's Catalina there with

05:46 - 05:51

this evening's truth or fake well that's

05:49 - 05:52

it from us for now do stay with us

05:51 - 05:54

though we'll be right back with more

05:52 - 05:57

world news

05:54 - 05:57

[Music]

06:01 - 06:04

he

Truth or Fake: HMPV Virus Outbreak in Northern China

In today's edition of Truth or Fake, we delve into the HMPV virus outbreak in northern China, where some users are claiming the onset of a new lockdown. The surge in cases of the flu-like Human Numo Virus, also known as HMPV, has sparked fears of another COVID-19-style pandemic. Reports from the Chinese CDC indicated a rise in HMPV cases, especially among individuals under 14 years old in Northern China and provinces.

Claims and Debunking

  • Alarming Claims: Social networks are abuzz with talks of emergency lockdowns and high mortality rates due to the spread of HMPV.
  • Debunking: Investigations revealed that photos circulating on social media, supposedly depicting the current situation in China, were actually from the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization confirmed that Chinese healthcare systems were not overwhelmed, debunking claims of emergency responses triggered by the HMPV surge.

Misinformation on Social Media

  • TikTok Misinformation: Numerous TikTok accounts have been spreading alarmist content, hinting at imminent lockdowns in various countries, including France, without official backing.
  • Parody Accounts: Certain TikTok accounts, like P news, are intentionally spreading disinformation with viral videos, contributing to the unwarranted panic.

Clarifying the Virus and Prevention

  • Mortality Rate: Contrary to claims of a 43% mortality rate, experts clarified that this figure pertained to specific high-risk groups like leukemia patients, not the general population.
  • HMPV Characteristics: HMPV, discovered in 2001, causes symptoms akin to colds and flu, spreading faster in winter. There's no abnormal surge currently, and preventative measures like wearing masks and hand hygiene are recommended.
  • Vaccine Status: At present, there's no specific vaccine against HMPV, emphasizing the need for familiar precautionary steps from the COVID-19 era.

Concluding Thoughts

While fears of a new pandemic loom, reports of declining HMPV infections in northern China offer a glimmer of hope. As Catalina debunks these claims, it's evident that vigilance and accurate information dissemination are vital in combating the spread of both viruses and misinformation.

Remember, staying informed by relying on verified sources and not giving in to sensationalism is crucial for navigating these uncertain times. Let's continue to prioritize public health while debunking falsehoods that may only serve to amplify panic and confusion.

As we navigate the evolving landscape of global health challenges, let's remember that a balanced approach, grounded in facts, is our best defense. Stay safe, stay informed, and together we can combat not just viruses, but also the proliferation of misinformation in our interconnected world.