Alarm in China: pneumonia in children, new epidemic.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked China to share more information about the mysterious pneumonia that is affecting dozens of people in the city of Wuhan.
The WHO expressed concern that Chinese authorities have not yet published the results of the investigation into the causes of the disease or provided information about the affected patients. “We are concerned about the lack of transparency from Chinese authorities,” said Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO emergencies program. “We need more information to understand the nature of this disease and take steps to prevent its spread.”
China has confirmed 44 cases of mysterious pneumonia, 11 of them serious. Patients present with SARS-like symptoms, including fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Chinese authorities have ruled out that the disease is caused by SARS, but have not yet identified the pathogen that causes it.
The WHO has called on China to share information about mysterious pneumonia cases with the international scientific community. This allows experts to assess the threat posed by the disease and develop measures to prevent its spread.
Alarm in China: pneumonia in children, epidemic in sight?
China has seen an increase in respiratory illnesses in the northern regions of the country, including undiagnosed pneumonia in children. Chinese authorities attribute the increase in cases to the lifting of anti-Covid restrictions and the spread of pathogens such as influenza, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, respiratory syncytial virus and Sars-Cov-2.
The World Health Organization (WHO) expressed concern about the situation and called on China to provide more information. The WHO also stressed that the situation needs to be carefully monitored to assess the potential threat of these diseases.
Some experts have speculated that the increase in respiratory illnesses in China could be due to a combination of factors, including:
- The drop in temperature that led to a season with a high incidence of respiratory infections;
- The lifting of anti-Covid restrictions, which led to an increase in social contacts;
- A possible “immune debt”, i.e. a reduction in people’s immune response due to the smaller winter waves of the last three years.
It is currently unclear whether the increase in respiratory illnesses in China represents a worrying event. However, it is important to monitor the situation carefully to assess the potential threat of these diseases.
WHO: The note
The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked China to provide further epidemiological and clinical information as well as laboratory results on reported outbreaks of pneumonia in children.
WHO expressed concern about the situation and recommended that people in China take necessary measures to reduce the risk of infection, including vaccination, distancing from sick people, self-isolation in case of infection, testing and medical treatment as needed.
The WHO said it was “routine” to request information about the increase in respiratory illnesses in a particular country and that it limited itself to reporting outbreaks of pneumonia in children from member states. The agency also decided to issue a statement on China to share available information after receiving a number of questions about it from the media.
Finally, the WHO stressed that the term “undiagnosed pneumonia” was never mentioned at last week’s press conference. On the contrary, a speaker at the time spoke of an increase in respiratory diseases compared to three years ago.
Source: The newspaper
