Whether you want to walk the Great Wall, see the Tiger Leaping Gorge, journey into the Himalayas or explore the vast metropolises of Beijing, Shanghai or Chengdu, China is a fantastic destination for travellers.
However, given there are a rising number of cases of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and now news of a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, we’ve compiled some up-to-date, useful information if you’ve got a trip booked to the country soon. Read on for everything you need to know about travelling to China right now.
When was the earthquake in China’s Tibet-Nepal and which areas are still affected?
A 7.1 magnitude earthquake (according to the US Geological Survey – the China Earthquake Networks Centre recorded 6.8) struck a remote region of Tibet on January 7 at 9.05 am local time (1.05 am GMT), at a depth of around 10 km.
The epicentre of the quake was the Shigatse high-altitude county of Dingri, which is located on the Chinese side of Mount Everest and is home to around 62,000 people. The Xinhua News Agency has said more than 1,000 houses were damaged, and so far 95 people are reported to have died and at least 130 are injured.
What is HMPV? The virus currently rising in China
HMPV is a virus, first identified in the Netherlands in 2001, which is very similar to the flu in terms of symptoms: most infected people will have a cough, fever and nasal congestion.
It’s spread by direct contact between people or when someone touches a surface contaminated with it, according to the BBC. In more severe cases (very young children and elderly people, or those with advanced cancer are at higher risk) the lungs will be more affected with wheezing and breathlessness.
For anybody worried this could be another pandemic, it doesn’t look like there’s any need to panic. Experts have said that fears of a Covid-19 style pandemic are overblown – the virus has been around for a while now, after all, and it’s rising simply because viruses tend to thrive in the winter months, when more people are spending time in enclosed spaces.
What is the current government advice for travel to China?
The UK’s FCDO has not updated its travel advice in light of the spread of HMPV, nor after this morning’s earthquake.
Under ‘earthquakes’, the safety and security page reads: ‘China is in an active seismic zone and can experience major earthquakes. Learn what to do before, during and after an earthquake from the US Federal Emergency Management Agency.’
As for ‘vaccine recommendations and health risks’, the health page says you need to check the latest vaccine recommendations for China and see where to get them at least eight weeks before your trip.
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