The World Health Organization said on Thursday that Chinese authorities said they had not identified any “unusual or new diseases” in the country after the U.N. health agency formally requested information about a potentially worrisome rise in the disease. .
The WHO cited unspecified media reports and reports from global infectious disease surveillance agencies about clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia among children in northern China, and formally asked China for more details earlier this week.
Outside scientists say the situation warrants close monitoring, but they are not convinced that China’s recent rise in respiratory illnesses heralds the start of a new global outbreak.
The emergence of new influenza strains or other viruses capable of causing a pandemic often begins with clusters of undiagnosed respiratory illnesses. Both SARS and COVID-19 were initially reported as unusual types of pneumonia.
The World Health Organization noted that Chinese National Health Commission authorities reported an increase in respiratory illnesses on November 13, which they said was due to the lifting of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.Respiratory diseases have also increased in other countries, e.g.
respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, When pandemic restrictions end.About a week later, media reported multiple undiagnosed cases of pneumonia among children in northern China, the World Health Organization said.
The U.N. agency said it held a conference call with Chinese health officials on Thursday during which it provided the data it requested. The figures show an increase in the number of children admitted to hospital since October with illnesses including bacterial infections, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza and common cold viruses.
“Chinese health authorities have reported no change in the manifestations of the disease,” the WHO said, adding that Chinese officials said the increase in the number of patients had not caused the country’s hospitals to be overloaded.
Dr. Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom, suspects that the wave of infections is caused by a new disease.
“If this was (a new disease), I would expect to see more infections in adults,” he said in a statement. “The small number of infections reported in adults suggests immunity due to previous exposure. “
François Barloux of University College London said China may be experiencing a serious wave of infections among children as it is the first winter since lockdown restrictions were lifted, which could reduce children’s immunity to common insects force.
The World Health Organization said reports of influenza-like illnesses in northern China have increased since mid-October compared with the previous three years. The U.N. health agency rarely publicly asks countries for more detailed information because such requests are usually made internally. The World Health Organization said it was asking China to provide more data through international legal mechanisms.
According to reports within China, the epidemic has overwhelmed some hospitals in northern China, including Beijing, and health authorities have asked the public to bring children with mild symptoms to clinics and other facilities.
The state-owned China People’s Broadcasting Station published an article online earlier this week saying that the average daily number of patients in the Department of Internal Medicine at Beijing Children’s Hospital exceeded 7,000, exceeding the hospital’s capacity.
China’s National Health Commission recommended in a written Q&A published online by the official Xinhua News Agency on Thursday that children with mild symptoms “first go to primary care facilities or health departments” and “general hospital paediatrics” because large hospitals are overcrowded and wait times are long. long.
The World Health Organization said there is currently too little information to fully assess the risk from these reported cases of respiratory illness in children. The agency has previously been hampered by a lack of cooperation from countries, especially China, when new viruses emerged.
After the SARS outbreak in southern China in 2002, Beijing officials asked doctors to hide patients, and some patients were transported in ambulances during a visit by World Health Organization scientists to China. This led to the World Health Organization threatening to close its offices in China.
Almost twenty years later, China stopped In sharing key details about the coronavirus with the U.N. health agency after the new virus emerged in late 2019, the World Health Organization publicly praised China’s commitment to stopping the virus just weeks before it began triggering an explosive epidemic around the world.
“While WHO seeks this additional information, we recommend that people in China take steps to reduce their risk of respiratory illness,” the agency said. It recommended people get vaccinated, isolate if they feel sick, wear masks when necessary and receive care. medical. Necessary.