World Health Organisation requests information from China regarding outbreak of respiratory diseases
Type of article: News
MedED Catalogue Reference: MGN004
Category: News | Infectious Diseases
Category Tags: Infectious Diseases
Update: Reuters, November 27, 2023,7:41 AM GMT+2
On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that no new or unusual pathogens were identified in recent outbreaks of respiratory illnesses in China. Concerns had originally been raised in response to reports of clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children, received by the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases. (See WHO asks China for details on outbreaks of respiratory illness, 23 Nov, 2023)
In response, the State Council of China warned of influenza peaking in the winter and spring, continued high mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in some areas, and the risk of a COVID-19 resurgence. To address this, the commission urged increasing the relevant clinics, extending service hours, and reinforcing drug supplies. They emphasized the need for effective epidemic prevention in crowded places like schools and nursing homes to reduce the flow of people.
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Reuters,Updated 07:41, 27 November 2033: China ministry seeks more fever clinics to combat respiratory illness surge
Update: Reuters, 15:56 GMT + 2, 23 November 2023
LONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters)
"Leading scientists urged caution over fears of another pandemic on Thursday after the World Health Organization requested more information from China on a rise of respiratory illnesses and pneumonia clusters among children.
"We have to be careful," said Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist who advised the WHO on COVID-19. "We really need more information, particularly diagnostic information."
Concerns were first sparked internationally by an alert published on Tuesday by the monitoring service ProMED, part of the International Society for Infectious Diseases. It called for more information about "undiagnosed pneumonia - China (Beijing, Liaoning)".
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Reuters,Updated 15:34, 23 November 203: Don't press 'pandemic panic button' scientists caution on China pneumonia report
Source: Reuters,7:45 AM GMT+2 , 23 November 2023
The World Health Organization (WHO) has requested more comprehensive epidemiologic and clinical details from China regarding outbreaks of an influenza-like illness among children, most notably in the country's northern regions.
China's National Health Commission has characterized this inquiry as a routine check.
According to Reuters, the request was made through the International Health Regulations mechanism after groups, including the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases, reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in the northern part of the country.
On the 13th of November, Chinese authorities held a press conference attributing the increased incidence of respiratory disease to the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions. They identified various pathogens, including influenza, mycoplasma pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus, and the coronavirus, as contributing factors to the surge in cases.
It was unclear whether these cases had been previously included in the reported increase in overall respiratory infections or whether these were separate events.
Both China and the World Health Organization (WHO) have faced scrutiny regarding the transparency of reporting on the initial COVID-19 cases originating in Wuhan in late 2019.
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