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The World Health Organization has asked China for more information on the pneumonia outbreak that has been spreading since October.
As China experiences its first winter without strict COVID-19 restrictions since the outbreak began three years ago, a wave of severe respiratory illnesses is sweeping across the country.
The unprecedented increase in cases has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to urge China to obtain more information about the outbreak and seek improved response measures. Although the cause of this trend is unclear, some health experts attribute it to the temporary and temporary effect of lifting lockdown restrictions, although unanswered questions surrounding the infection and the country where it spread have led others to draw parallels with the early days. The epidemic.
Here’s what you need to know about the current state of the outbreak and what to expect.
What do we know so far about China’s pneumonia epidemic?
- On November 13, China’s National Health Commission reported an increase in respiratory diseases in a press release.
- On Sunday, a cluster of undiagnosed pneumonia among children in northern China was reported by the Global Monitoring System for Infectious Diseases (ProMED) surveillance program. It is not clear whether this report overlaps with the press release.
- According to Promedi, infections have spread to Beijing and the city of Liaoning, about 800 km (500 miles) northeast of the country.
- On Wednesday, the World Health Organization asked China to provide information on the recent outbreak, including “additional epidemiologic and clinical data, as well as laboratory results of these clusters reported among children.”
- Although there is no official data on the number of people infected with the virus, hospitals in Beijing have seen an increase in patients, especially in wards. “A major hospital in the city reported seeing an average of 1,200 patients entering the emergency room every day,” Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu reported from Beijing on Thursday.
- Schools in Beijing are reporting high absenteeism, dismissing classes for at least a week if some students are sick, and warning parents to take extra precautions, he said.
- With warnings from China’s national climate authority that the country’s frigid temperatures will drop further from Thursday, health officials fear winter will exacerbate the spread of infections.
Why is pneumonia so prevalent in China?
Officials from China’s National Health Commission attributed the increase in cases to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. Health experts agree that this could be similar to the “lockout wave” seen in countries such as the UK.
China may be paying off an “immunity debt” after a long lockdown, “which has greatly reduced respiratory transmission and therefore immunity to infectious diseases,” Francois Belloux, director of University College London’s Institute of Genetics, said in a statement. By X.
He added that in the current data, “there is no reason to suspect a novel pathogen” and that Mycoplasma pneumoniae, the source of most cases and a bacterium that commonly infects young children, is “generally harmless.”
Chinese authorities have listed mycoplasma as one of the pathogens that spreads along with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. The World Health Organization has asked China to provide more information on the latest patterns of these microorganisms.
While the presence of a novel pathogen is possible until more information is available, the outbreak could be “an existing but newly mutated pathogen with enhanced characteristics and severity,” said Laith Abu-Radad, a professor of health care policy and research. in Qatar at Weill Cornell Medicine.
“Both situations are of international concern, as pathogens cross national borders sooner or later regardless of preventive measures,” he said.
What else can we expect from the Chinese epidemic?
In their press release, Chinese officials said that there is a need to strengthen disease control and strengthen the capacity of health systems.
The World Health Organization and medical experts in China have advised people in the country to strengthen practices such as vigorous hand washing, wearing masks and social distancing since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Liaoning Province, people are struggling in queues at traditional Chinese medicine hospitals, while patients at Dalian Children’s Hospital were kept waiting in line for two hours, according to a Promedi report.
Although medical staff are concerned about the rise in infections among people under 18, and for vulnerable people such as the elderly and pregnant women, Yu reported a steady stream of parents walking hand-in-hand outside Beijing Children’s Hospital. Children behind her.
Abu Radad noted that the incidence in children may suggest that older individuals have some immunity to a widespread pathogen, perhaps RSV, and that there is little concern now that a new vaccine for the virus is available.
Experts agree that more accurate data on the diseases is needed.
It may be. #RSV Or anyone else’s respiratory system – so we need more information
If this is the case #Mycoplasma It is important to remember that
✅ May cause non-pulmonary disease.
✅ Can be treated with Azithromycin in children (although resistance to macrolides is known)– Krutika Kuppalli, MD FIDSA (@KrutikaKuppalli) November 22, 2023
What is pneumonia?
Pneumonia is inflammation of the air sacs in the lungs caused by a bacterial, viral or fungal infection.
The infection, which usually affects young children and adults, can be fatal. According to the 2022 World Health Organization report, the number of deaths due to the disease is highest in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
Symptoms include chest pain, cough, fever, and fatigue. Although the disease affects the lungs and body, it is caused by bacteria and can be treated with antibiotics. Recovery times usually last from a week to a month or more.