Chinese health authorities have not detected any听耻苍耻蝉耻补濒听or novel听辫补迟丑辞驳别苍蝉听and provided the requested data on an increase in听谤别蝉辫颈谤补迟辞谤测听illnesses and reported聽聽in children, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.
The听奥贬翱听had asked听颁丑颈苍补听for more information on Wednesday听补蹿迟别谤听groups including the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (ProMED) reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in north听颁丑颈苍补.
As per the rule,听颁丑颈苍补听responded to the听奥贬翱听within 24 hours. The听奥贬翱听had sought epidemiologic and clinical information as well as laboratory results through the International Health Regulations mechanism.
The data suggests the increase is linked to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions along with the circulation of known听辫补迟丑辞驳别苍蝉听like mycoplasma pneumoniae, a common bacterial infection that typically affects younger children and which has circulated since May.
Influenza,听谤别蝉辫颈谤补迟辞谤测听syncytial virus (RSV) and adenovirus have been in circulation since October.
The agency does not advise against travel and trade as they have been monitoring the situation with authorities.
No听耻苍耻蝉耻补濒听辫补迟丑辞驳别苍蝉听have been detected in the capital of Beijing and the northeastern province of Liaoning.
Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission held a press conference on Nov. 13 to report an increase in incidence of听谤别蝉辫颈谤补迟辞谤测听disease.
Both听颁丑颈苍补听and the听奥贬翱听have faced questions about the聽聽on the earliest COVID-19 cases that emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.
The U.N. health agency had also asked听颁丑颈苍补听for further information about trends in the circulation of known听辫补迟丑辞驳别苍蝉听and the burden on healthcare systems. The听奥贬翱听said it was in contact with clinicians and scientists through its existing technical partnerships and networks in听颁丑颈苍补.
WHO听颁丑颈苍补听said it was “routine” to request information on increases in听谤别蝉辫颈谤补迟辞谤测听illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children from member states, such as听颁丑颈苍补.
The global agency decided to issue a statement on听颁丑颈苍补听to share available information, as it received a number of听辩耻别谤颈别蝉听about it from media,听奥贬翱听颁丑颈苍补听said in an emailed statement.
The ProMED alert was based on a report by FTV News in Taiwan that came out on Tuesday.
Undiagnosed pneumonia was not mentioned at last week’s press conference, according to a transcript, but one speaker said everyone felt like there had been an increase in听谤别蝉辫颈谤补迟辞谤测听illnesses this year compared with three years ago.
The speaker said that global monitoring for mycoplasma pneumoniae had been at a low over the past three years and听辞耻迟产谤别补办蝉听were cyclical, occurring every three to seven years.
‘SEASONAL SURGE’
The rise in听谤别蝉辫颈谤补迟辞谤测听illnesses comes as听颁丑颈苍补听braces for its first full winter season since it had lifted strict COVID-19 restrictions in December. Many other countries saw similar increases in听谤别蝉辫颈谤补迟辞谤测听diseases听补蹿迟别谤听easing pandemic measures.
“It is just a relatively large seasonal surge, perhaps partly due to chance and partly because there’s a bit of ‘immunity debt’ from the lesser winter surges in the last three years,” said Ben Cowling, an epidemiologist at Hong Kong University.
China‘s National Health Commission did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Thursday, it published an interview with the state media agency Xinhua in which it advised parents what to do and mentioned that big hospitals were receiving a large number of patients and waiting times were long. It did not comment on the听奥贬翱听notice.
Since mid-October, the听奥贬翱听said northern听颁丑颈苍补听had reported an increase in influenza-like illness compared with the same period in the previous three years.
It said听颁丑颈苍补听had systems in place to capture information on trends in illness incidence and to report that data to platforms such as the Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System.
In recent days, media in cities such as Xian in the northwest have posted videos of hospitals crowded with parents and children awaiting checks.
Some social media users have posted photos of children doing homework while receiving intravenous drips in hospital.
The听奥贬翱听said that while it was seeking additional information, it recommended that people in听颁丑颈苍补听follow measures to reduce the risk of听谤别蝉辫颈谤补迟辞谤测听illness.
Measures included vaccination, keeping distance from sick people, staying at home when ill, getting tested and medical care as needed, wearing masks as appropriate, ensuring good ventilation, and regular hand-washing, it said. – Reuters
