Geneva: The World Health Organization has asked China for more data on a respiratory illness spreading in the north of the country, urging Chinese to take steps to reduce the risk of infection.
Northern China has reported an increase in “influenza-like illness” since mid-October when compared to the same period in the previous three years, according to the WHO.
“WHO has made an official request to China for detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children,” the UN health body said in a statement on Wednesday.
WHO has sought additional information on recent trends in the circulation of known pathogens, including influenza, SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that gives rise to Covid-19), RSV affecting infants and Mycoplasma pneumonia, as well as on the degree of overcrowding in the health system, the statement added.
Beijing’s National Health Commission (NHC) told reporters last week that the respiratory illness spike was due to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the circulation of known pathogens, including influenza and common bacterial infections that affect children.
China’s capital has “entered a high incidence season of respiratory infectious diseases”, Wang Quanyi, deputy director and chief epidemiological expert at the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told state-run outlet Beijing News on Wednesday.
Beijing “is currently showing a trend of multiple pathogens coexisting”, he added.
On November 21, media and public disease surveillance system ProMED reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China.
The epicentres of this outbreak are Beijing and Liaoning province, where pediatric hospitals are facing an overwhelming number of sick children. The severity of the situation has led to the suspension of classes in some schools, as both students and teachers have fallen ill, a situation reminiscent of the early days of Covid-19.
The symptoms exhibited by the affected children are high fever and lung inflammation, but no cough, which is common when an individual is down with flu or is suffering from respiratory virus diseases like RSV.
