China swamped with respiratory infections ahead of Lunar New Year travel rush

Health officials in China are calling on people to wear masks and open the windows to help reduce a wave of respiratory infections that has left hospitals across the country swamped with patients ahead of the Lunar New Year travel rush.

“Influenza is peaking in our city, with influenza A (H1N1) as the main virus,” the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in a recent statement warning people to take precautions ahead of the Jan. 29 Lunar New Year holiday, known as Spring Festival in mainland China.