Children’s hospitals in Beijing, Liaoning and other cities are reportedly “overwhelmed with sick children.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked the Chinese government for more information about a mysterious pneumonia outbreak in northern China that appears to be primarily affecting children.
The U.N. health agency said in a statement Wednesday that the WHO has “officially requested detailed information on the increase in respiratory illnesses and reports of cluster pneumonia in children.”
China has seen an increase in cases of the flu-like illness compared to the same period in the past three years, when strict measures were implemented as part of the country’s zero-coronavirus strategy.
This policy was suddenly abandoned in December 2022.
In a press conference earlier this month, China’s National Health Commission said that the incidence of respiratory diseases is increasing, and that this is due to the lifting of new coronavirus infection control measures and not only the new coronavirus, but also the following: He pointed out that it is due to the spread of pathogens such as. These include influenza, mycoplasma pneumonia (a common bacterial infection that usually affects younger children), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
ProMED, an online medical community that raised questions about the unknown disease that broke out in Wuhan in late 2019 and later became COVID-19, said earlier this week that it had not been diagnosed among children in northern China. He pointed out that there are increasing media reports of pneumonia clusters occurring.
Taiwanese media outlet FTV News said children’s hospitals in Beijing, Liaoning and other northern regions were “overflowing with sick children,” and parents questioned whether authorities were “covering up the epidemic.” It was reported that he was holding her.
ProMed said it needed more information “about the disease”.
The WHO noted that it was unclear whether there was a link between the outbreak in northern China and the overall increase in respiratory infections that Chinese authorities had previously reported, and said it had asked the Chinese government for more detailed information on the situation. Ta.
“WHO has requested additional epidemiological and clinical information, as well as laboratory results regarding the reported pediatric cluster, through the International Health Regulations mechanism,” the statement said.
“We also asked for further information on recent trends in the prevalence of known pathogens, including influenza, SARS-CoV-2, RSV, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and the current burden on health systems. , and are in touch with clinicians and scientists through existing technology partnerships and networks in China.”
Writing on social media platform Ta. “We need more information about symptoms, epidemiology, testing, etc.,” she added.
The WHO called on Chinese citizens to take steps to reduce the risk of contracting respiratory infections, including updating vaccinations, maintaining distance from others, wearing masks when necessary, and staying home if unwell. . Testing is also important.
The first known case of coronavirus infection was reported as pneumonia of unknown cause in late 2019, and the first death from the disease occurred the same month in January 2020. share The genetic sequence of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has been published.
“Deeply concerned” by the rapid spread and severity of the virus, as well as the “alarming level of inaction,” the WHO declared a pandemic in March 2020.
A WHO team finally visited Wuhan in early 2021 to investigate the outbreak, but the origin of the virus remains unclear.