Health experts in China predict that outbreaks of respiratory diseases that currently mainly affect children and young people will expand due to “known pathogens”.
Li Tongzeng, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at Beijing You’an Hospital, told reporters Global Times The peak of this flu may last another week or two. The forecast particularly affects children and young people who often gather for events such as school or work.
Health experts attribute the rise in respiratory infections to a variety of causes. These include the confluence of multiple respiratory diseases, an “immune gap” resulting from declining antibodies against these pathogens, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Children born during the epidemic
Reduced social interactions and frequent disruptions to school and work attendance due to the pandemic have created “immune gaps” that lead to a drop in antibodies. Additionally, children born during the pandemic are less exposed to these outbreak-causing pathogens, making them more susceptible to respiratory infections.
In light of these circumstances, the Chinese Health Commission urged local authorities to increase the number of fever cases caused by these “known pathogens.”
Mi Feng, spokesperson of the National Health Commission, mentioned at the press conference that the increase in acute respiratory infection cases is related to the simultaneous spread of multiple pathogens, mainly influenza. Rice attributed the outbreak to “known pathogens” such as seasonal influenza, rhinovirus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, respiratory syncytial virus and adenovirus.
WHO intervention
Representatives of the Chinese National Health Commission discussed the situation with World Health Organization (WHO) officials via video conference last week. During this interaction, Chinese officials revealed surveillance and detection data for respiratory disease pathogens as well as diagnostic and treatment strategies.
The news comes after the World Health Organization asked China to provide comprehensive details on a recent surge in respiratory illness cases and childhood pneumonia.
On Thursday, Chinese authorities advocated strengthening coordination between primary care and hospitals to deal with an escalation in respiratory infection cases.
A senior official from China’s National Health Commission said the organization had launched a series of measures, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
These are intended to “increase the ability to diagnose and treat common respiratory infections in community health centers and hospitals” and speed up the identification and referral of serious cases.
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