Figurines appear in front of the World Health Organization logo displayed in this illustration taken on February 11, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Rovik/Illustration/File Photo Obtaining licensing rights
Nov 23 (Reuters) – The World Health Organization has asked China for details about an increase in respiratory illnesses and clusters of pneumonia in children, which its office in China on Thursday described as “routine” screening.
Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission held a press conference on November 13 to report an increase in cases of respiratory diseases.
The authorities attributed the increase to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the spread of known pathogens such as influenza, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a common bacterial infection that usually affects younger children, and respiratory syncytial virus, the virus that causes Covid-19.
Both China and the World Health Organization have faced questions about the transparency of reporting of the first cases of Covid-19 that appeared in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday that groups including the Emerging Disease Surveillance Program had reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China. The World Health Organization said it is not clear whether these cases are linked to an overall increase in respiratory infections previously reported by Chinese authorities or to isolated events.
The World Health Organization said it had requested additional epidemiological and clinical information, as well as laboratory results from outbreaks among children, through the mechanism of the International Health Regulations.
It also requested more information from China on trends in the spread of known pathogens and the burden on healthcare systems. The World Health Organization said it is in contact with doctors and scientists through its existing technical partnerships and networks in China.
The World Health Organization in China said it was “routine” to request information on increases in respiratory illnesses and pneumonia clusters reported in children from member states, such as China.
The World Health Organization in China said in a statement sent via email that the global agency decided to issue a statement regarding China to exchange available information, as it had received a number of inquiries about it from the media.
Undiagnosed pneumonia was not mentioned at last week’s press conference, according to the transcript, but one speaker said everyone felt there was an increase in respiratory illness this year compared to three years ago.
The spokesman said that global monitoring of Mycoplasma pneumoniae had been at a low level over the past three years, and epidemics were cyclical, occurring every three to seven years.
Since mid-October, northern China has reported an increase in influenza-like illnesses compared with the same period in the previous three years, the WHO said.
She said China has systems in place to collect information on disease trends and report that data to platforms such as the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System.
In recent days, media in cities such as Xi’an in the northwest have published videos of hospitals crowded with parents and children waiting for tests.
Some social media users posted pictures of children doing their homework while receiving intravenous injections in the hospital.
The World Health Organization said that while it was seeking additional information, it recommended that people in China follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory diseases.
She added that these measures include vaccination, staying away from sick people, staying home when sick, performing tests and medical care as needed, wearing masks as appropriate, ensuring good ventilation, and washing hands regularly.
(Reporting by Dina Beasley in Los Angeles and Andrew Silver in Shanghai; Reporting by Muhammad) Editing by Stephen Coates, Robert Birsel
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