- WHO investigates China outbreak
- Respiratory illnesses surge globally
- Concerns over China transparency
The World Health Organisation (WHO) is soliciting additional data from China in response to a pediatric pneumonia outbreak.
A WHO epidemiologist, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, stated that the organization was “following up with China” despite nationwide hospitals overburdened.
The hidden nation is again recommending masks and social seclusion, eerily resembling COVID-19.
White Lung Syndrome and Resurgence
An outbreak of pneumonia among children, referred to as “white lung syndrome” due to the characteristic appearance of lung injury on scans, has been attributed to a resurgence in respiratory illnesses rather than the emergence of a novel virus.
According to the World Health Organisation, China’s prolonged and most severe lockdowns deprived children of vital immunity against seasonal maladies.
Today at the conference, Dr. Van Kerkhove stated, “Yes, respiratory infections are on the rise across the globe.”
“Since autumn is approaching winter, we anticipate an increase in respiratory infections regardless.”
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“We are maintaining contact with China.” An escalation is being observed as a result of various infections.
“We are maintaining contact with clinicians in China and our clinical network.”
“With regard to acute respiratory infections, we are examining the strain on healthcare systems as well as the capabilities of those systems.”
Pressure on WHO and China’s Transparency
The World Health Organisation (WHO) took an unorthodox step by publicly urging China to disclose information regarding the outbreak.
This is considered to be related to China’s alleged COVID-19 mishandling, which suppressed early disease data.
It follows Chinese Ministry of Health spokeswoman Mi Feng’s advice to reconsider face masks and stay away.
“Efforts should be made to increase the number of relevant clinics and treatment areas that are operational, to extend service hours, and to increase the supply of medicines,” he stated at a press conference on Sunday.
In densely populated areas, effective epidemic prevention and control measures are essential.
The number of visitors should be reduced at nursing homes, schools, and childcare institutions.
Certain regions of Beijing reportedly have 7,000 admissions per day at major pediatric hospitals.
Daily, the largest hospital in Tianjin, situated on the coast near Beijing, has been treating over 13,000 ill children.
Additionally, Liaoning and Shanghai, the country’s largest city, have seen rises in kid diseases.
Hospitalized patients reportedly present with elevated body temperature, inflammation of the lungs, and fever; however, they do not have a cough or pulmonary nodules, which are protrusions on the lungs that are commonly indicative of a previous infection.
Additionally, x-rays reveal transparent or opaque regions within their lungs, which may result from bacterial infections and have prompted some physicians to refer to the condition as “white lung syndrome.”
Challenges in WHO-China Relations Amidst COVID-19 Allegations
After its initial response to the COVID-19 epidemic, the WHO is under pressure to tighten its policies towards China.
Despite lacking evidence to substantiate such a claim, the organization grapples with allegations that it shielded Beijing by repeating its position that COVID could not be transmitted from one individual to another.
After COVID-19’s 2019 outbreak, China’s contagion management transparency is under examination.
The nation waited weeks before notifying the international community about the mysterious pneumonia that had emerged within its borders. Despite a lack of data, it claimed the sickness could not be spread.
On November 21, reports of “undiagnosed pneumonia” in China were initially reported by the disease surveillance system ProMED, which subsequently notified the international community of the enigmatic outbreak.
The system, which initially issued a warning regarding the emergence of COVID-19 in December 2019, is designed to identify atypical health occurrences associated with emergent infections.
The WHO requested a meeting with the Chinese authorities after the notice, which they confirmed for a Thursday teleconference.
According to the information provided, the concentrations of cases were caused by known pathogens, according to the agency.
China has also seen more children infected with benign respiratory bacteria mycoplasma pneumoniae since May. China disclosed this information.
WHO data shows a rise in paediatric RSV, adenovirus, influenza, and COVID-19 cases since autumn.
Concerns have been raised about an illness that mirrors the early Covid-19 pandemic.
ProMED’s Role and China’s Disease Attribution
ProMED, the same system that reported the emergence of COVID-19 in Wuhan, was the initial outlet through which the global community learned about the ‘mystery pneumonia’ outbreak in China last week.
Chinese authorities attribute the instances to a rise in influenza and respiratory syncytial virus. It is not attributed to the detecting of a novel disease.
Suppressing the spread of these diseases and eroding immunity against them through repeated lockdowns and other measures—the most severe of which were implemented in China—established the conditions for a resurgence once restrictions were lifted.
Last winter, both the United States and the United Kingdom experienced a comparable surge in illnesses during their respective “exit waves” from the pandemic, which resulted in significant overcrowding in pediatric units.
Additionally, experts hypothesize that the predominant occurrence of illness among children during this pandemic implies that the pathogens responsible are previously infected and immunized adults.
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