“Unknown” pneumonia outbreak among children in China

Although China has been reporting for months Increase Respiratory Diseases Within its territory, the information that has just appeared in Chinese media, There is a long line of children in the hospital Photos of dripping babies in the corridors of pediatric centers also set off alarm bells.

Because there is also information from Chinese doctors ensuring that what they are seeing is This year, both the number and severity of Compared to previous years.

Pediatric hospital queue

now Chinese health expert They are convinced that the disease can be attributed to known pathogen Such as influenza (flu), or the influenza virus causing the coronavirus pandemic (SARS-CoV-2), or the influenza virus Mycoplasma pneumoniaea common bacteria that often causes mild illness in children.

Currently, the World Health Organization has requested China to provide more information to clarify the origin of this childhood pneumonia epidemic. free drawing

But the reality that’s being transcended now doesn’t seem to have much to do with the flu, the usual pneumonia outbreaks, the typical outbreaks of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus).

Some news and reports circulating on social networks describe many Children hospitalized with pneumoniabut did not specify the exact cause of the disease.

besides Statement from The World Health Organization today explained its concerns:

“It is unclear whether these events are related to a general increase in respiratory infections previously reported by Chinese authorities, or to separate incidents.”

Distrust of Chinese health authorities

Several experts have said in recent days that the current rise in cases should not be cause for concern, explaining The reasonable thing to do is to wait Currently, new tests can explain the cause of cases without a specific diagnosis.

The issue is behavior of Chinese authorities During the SARS outbreak in 2003 and the coronavirus pandemic starting in 2020, cause distrust and put the world on alert.

WHO asks China to provide more information amid rising pneumonia cases in children Effie

This may be why the World Health Organization responded so quickly, wanting to get ahead of the curve and requesting information from China.

this WHO says it has requested results The number of reported cases in children, and more details about the current burden on the healthcare system.

He also said he keeps in touch with doctors and scientists through his network in China.

But currently, Chinese officials No public acknowledgment of concerns about unknown pathogens, they also did not respond publicly to the WHO statement. As for the country’s media, all they have done so far is appeal for calm and explain that there is no denying that the increase in respiratory illnesses is fundamentally due to the lifting of three years of strict restrictions against the coronavirus.

They added that restrictions in recent years have kept common winter viruses at bay, which is why the increase in cases appears to be more dramatic.

Children affected by pneumonia line up in Chinese hospitals Mark R. Christiano

Currently, there are no data on the number of cases or the evolution of the disease, although hospitals have to perform almost seven times more bronchoscopies in a day than usual.

There’s also data to put your mind at ease

Several experts are convinced that the emergence of these undiagnosed cases, but with symptoms similar to pneumonia, does not necessarily mean the emergence of a new pathogen, as they are very common symptoms in winter.

As childhood pneumonia cases rise, masks become an everyday item in China again Mark R. Christiano

Equally encouraging are reports that many other countries have seen significant increases in infections after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

Experts say the key now is to test sick children in China and confirm or rule out known causes.

If diagnostic tests continue to be negative, it means they are unable to identify any known viruses and may point to a new pathogen. ”