BEIJING – China’s Health Commission on Sunday urged local authorities to increase the number of clinics treating fever cases as the country faces an outbreak of respiratory infections caused by “known pathogens”.
“The increase in acute respiratory infection cases is related to the simultaneous spread of multiple pathogens, especially influenza,” Mi Feng, spokesman for the National Health Commission, said at a press conference.
“Efforts should be made to increase the number of clinics and treatment points, appropriately extend service hours and ensure the supply of medicines,” Mi said, according to local media reports.
He also called for “to do a good job in epidemic prevention and control in key crowded places such as schools, child care institutions, nursing homes, etc., and to reduce the flow of people and visits.”
In northern China, such as Beijing or Liaoning province, where cases are particularly high among children, hospitals have warned of “long waits” for treating patients.
Rice said the outbreak was caused by “known pathogens” including seasonal influenza, rhinovirus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, respiratory syncytial virus and adenovirus.
Last week, representatives from the Chinese National Health Commission held a video conference with World Health Organization (WHO) officials, where Chinese officials presented surveillance and detection data for pathogens that cause respiratory illnesses, as well as diagnostic and treatment options.
Previously, the World Health Organization asked China to provide detailed information on the recent increase in respiratory disease cases and the pneumonia epidemic in children.
Chinese authorities on Thursday had called for greater coordination between primary care and hospitals to deal with an increase in respiratory infection cases.
The official Xinhua News Agency quoted an official from the National Health Commission as saying the agency had introduced a series of measures to “improve the diagnosis and treatment capabilities of common respiratory infections in community health service centers and hospitals” and “facilitate the identification and transfer of major cases.”
The agency issued the recommendations after Chinese health authorities reported rising rates of respiratory illnesses in the country, in part due to the lifting of preventive measures against covid-19 earlier this year.