Latest developments on the "mysterious pneumonia" epidemic in China

[New Sancai Compilation and First Release] China has once again been hit by an infectious disease, with pneumonia cases causing serious damage in North and South China, raising concerns about a new round of global epidemic outbreaks. China Central Television reported earlier this week that Beijing Children's Hospital was seeing an average of 7,000 patients a day, exceeding the hospital's capacity. The World Health Organization (WHO) has received details about a pneumonia cluster in children and a surge in respiratory illnesses after asking China for details about the disease during a conference call with health officials. This was in response to media reports of a surge in hospitalizations of children.

In response to the WHO's concerns, China downplayed the spread of the disease, claiming that "other than seasonal pathogens, no other unusual or new pathogens have been found." As a surge in cases of mycoplasma pneumonia and influenza triggers global alarm, the Chinese government has gone on to say that the surge in respiratory illnesses is due to an "immunity gap." According to the WHO statement, Chinese authorities have linked the surge in respiratory illnesses to the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and the re-emergence of well-known pathogens including influenza and mycoplasma pneumonia. Chinese authorities told the World Health Organization that the current outbreak is linked to a "known" virus or bacteria, thus ruling out any potential pandemic. China's National Health Commission first reported an increase in respiratory illnesses on November 13.

The recent outbreak in China has brought back horrific memories of the Covid-19 outbreak. The Associated Press said that according to sources within China, the epidemic has swept through many hospitals in northern provinces, including Beijing, and health authorities have asked the public to send children with mild symptoms to clinics and other facilities. Major hospitals in Beijing and Liaoning were packed with sick children receiving intravenous drips, parents lined up in winter clothes, and the medical system was on the verge of collapse. Wang Quanyi, deputy director and chief epidemiologist of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told the media on November 22: "As the temperature drops, Beijing is currently showing a trend of multiple pathogens coexisting."

After reviewing information about the disease provided by Chinese authorities, WHO recommended that no travel or trade restrictions should be imposed on Chinese citizens. However, the WHO also cited China's response, saying that "compared with historical experience, some of these epidemics increased earlier in the season." The WHO made several suggestions to China, including that people should take measures to reduce the risk of respiratory diseases. risks, such as getting vaccinated against influenza, COVID-19 and other respiratory pathogens as appropriate, maintaining social distance from infected people, getting tested and isolating infected people at home.

The World Health Organization's public request for the Chinese government to provide accurate data on rising pneumonia cases in children has raised concerns because such requests are typically made within countries. The WHO said it asked China to provide further data through international legal mechanisms. Both the WHO and China have faced global criticism for their opaque sharing of data and information about the novel coronavirus in 2020. The world remains suspicious of the deadly virus that emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019 and subsequently turned into a large-scale epidemic that killed millions of people around the world and damaged their health.

(Author: Aakansha Malia)

(Compiled by: Wang Jimin)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: First published by Xinsancai)