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The WHO has formally requested that China share detailed information about a recent increase in respiratory illnesses, citing unconfirmed media reports of undiagnosed pneumonia in children. China has been reporting a jump in respiratory illnesses for months. Chinese media reports have described long lines at pediatric hospitals, and doctors have said this year’s wave appeared to be more severe than previous ones.
Chinese officials have attributed the illnesses to known pathogens such as influenza, SARS-CoV-2 – the virus behind the coronaviruspandemic – and mycoplasma pneumoniae, a common bacterium that typically causes mild illness in children.But some news and social media reports have described crowds of children at hospitals with pneumonia, without specifying the exact cause of illness.
“It is unclear if these are associated with the overall increase in respiratory infections previously reported by Chinese authorities, or separate events,” the WHO, a UN agency, said in a statement Thursday.
During both the outbreak of SARS in 2003 and the coronavirus pandemic that began in 2020, China’s surveillance and reporting of infectious diseases drew global scrutiny and criticism. Both times, officials covered up early cases, and stonewalled requests from health officials overseas, including the WHO, for more information and access to patient data.
Experts said the current rise in cases might not be cause for concern, noting that further testing could illuminate the reasons for the apparently undiagnosed cases. But they acknowledged many around the world were on higher alert toward reports from China.
“Definitely, there is concern about transparency from China,” said Raina MacIntyre, a professor of global biosecurity in Australia. “Given the history of what happened with Covid, I think the WHO decided to get on the front foot and request information from China.”
The WHO said it had requested laboratory results from the reported clusters among children, as well as more details about the current burden on health care systems. It said it was also in touch with clinicians and scientists through its networks in China.
Chinese officials have not publicly acknowledged concerns about unknown pathogens this time, and have not publicly responded to the WHO statement. In domestic media, they have urged calm about the surge in respiratory illnesses, saying the increase is due in part to the lifting of China’s strict coronavirus restrictions.
The national health commission has not released overall statistics about the surge in illness. But at one children’s hospital in Anhui province, doctors performed 67 bronchoscopies in one day, compared with 10 on a normal day, according to a report by the local government. State-run media in Hangzhou reported that outpatient pediatric visits at one hospital had tripled from last year, when Covid restrictions were still in place. About 30% to 40% of those children had been diagnosed with mycoplasma pneumoniae, the article said.
In other countries, infectious diseases besides the coronavirus also spiked after authorities lifted restrictions. It is possible the same is happening in China, especially as there is evidence prior infection with the coronavirus makes people more susceptible to other diseases. Chinese doctors have said patients in this round appear to have mixed infections, or drug-resistant ones, which may be making symptoms worse.
Chinese officials have attributed the illnesses to known pathogens such as influenza, SARS-CoV-2 – the virus behind the coronaviruspandemic – and mycoplasma pneumoniae, a common bacterium that typically causes mild illness in children.But some news and social media reports have described crowds of children at hospitals with pneumonia, without specifying the exact cause of illness.
“It is unclear if these are associated with the overall increase in respiratory infections previously reported by Chinese authorities, or separate events,” the WHO, a UN agency, said in a statement Thursday.
During both the outbreak of SARS in 2003 and the coronavirus pandemic that began in 2020, China’s surveillance and reporting of infectious diseases drew global scrutiny and criticism. Both times, officials covered up early cases, and stonewalled requests from health officials overseas, including the WHO, for more information and access to patient data.
Experts said the current rise in cases might not be cause for concern, noting that further testing could illuminate the reasons for the apparently undiagnosed cases. But they acknowledged many around the world were on higher alert toward reports from China.
“Definitely, there is concern about transparency from China,” said Raina MacIntyre, a professor of global biosecurity in Australia. “Given the history of what happened with Covid, I think the WHO decided to get on the front foot and request information from China.”
The WHO said it had requested laboratory results from the reported clusters among children, as well as more details about the current burden on health care systems. It said it was also in touch with clinicians and scientists through its networks in China.
Chinese officials have not publicly acknowledged concerns about unknown pathogens this time, and have not publicly responded to the WHO statement. In domestic media, they have urged calm about the surge in respiratory illnesses, saying the increase is due in part to the lifting of China’s strict coronavirus restrictions.
The national health commission has not released overall statistics about the surge in illness. But at one children’s hospital in Anhui province, doctors performed 67 bronchoscopies in one day, compared with 10 on a normal day, according to a report by the local government. State-run media in Hangzhou reported that outpatient pediatric visits at one hospital had tripled from last year, when Covid restrictions were still in place. About 30% to 40% of those children had been diagnosed with mycoplasma pneumoniae, the article said.
In other countries, infectious diseases besides the coronavirus also spiked after authorities lifted restrictions. It is possible the same is happening in China, especially as there is evidence prior infection with the coronavirus makes people more susceptible to other diseases. Chinese doctors have said patients in this round appear to have mixed infections, or drug-resistant ones, which may be making symptoms worse.
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