China is currently experiencing a spike in respiratory infections around the nation, particularly a mysterious form of pneumonia which has mainly affected children. The new disease outbreak has set off alarms around the world reminding other countries of the COVID-19 pandemic which got off to a similar start. Should world leaders be concerned by this new development? Or is the surge in respiratory illnesses restricted to China? Let’s find out.
Latest respiratory infection outbreak in China
To put things into perspective, this is China’s first winter without COVID-19 restrictions since 2020. While the restrictions were lifted only after meticulous consideration by Chinese health authorities, it seems like it has somehow caused an outbreak of new respiratory infections around the country.
Reports from the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases point to clusters of “undiagnosed pneumonia” in children in northern China. Seeing this surge, the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a formal request for information like lab results and recent data trends regarding the situation.
Pathogens such as adenoviruses, influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) seem to be the cause of this outbreak. Children are the main victims mainly due to low immunity levels. Pneumonia is the most severe illness from the latest surge.
Is it a new virus like COVID-19?
Some scientists suggest that the new outbreak was a direct result of the COVID-19 restrictions being eased. Similar patterns were observed in other countries too when their restrictions were lifted. Epidemiologists like Benjamin Cowling from the University of Hong Kong call it a ‘typical winter surge’ in such infections.
Beijing hospital overwhelmed by crowd suffering from a respiratory illness. China insists it’s just the flu and not a new virus. pic.twitter.com/NiQ7Tv4G4Y
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) November 27, 2023
Experts claim that the spike in illnesses is not a result of a new virus like COVID-19. Even in the United States, late 2022 saw a surge in flu-related cases as people were not able to build immunity to seasonal pathogens due to the pandemic’s restrictions. Medical authorities call it ‘immunity debt’.
WHO’s request and China’s response
The nation has responded to the WHO’s request for detailed clinical information on undiagnosed pneumonia clusters. Thanks to technical partnerships and networks, experts across countries are working together to fix the situation and prevent further spread of pathogens.
WHO statement on reported clusters of respiratory illness in children in northern China
WHO has made an official request to #China for detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children.
At a press conference on 13… pic.twitter.com/Jq8TgZjWNX
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) November 22, 2023
Northern cities like Beijing are experiencing cold weather which is also a significant factor for the outbreak, apart from the easing of restrictions. Moreover, there is no evidence of new or unusual pathogens like the COVID-19 virus in recent cases.
Regardless, the government of China and WHO has encouraged people to follow usual measures like vaccinations, wearing masks, social distancing, appropriate tests and regular hand-washing.
