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Mysterious respiratory illnesses are being reported in China, mainly affecting children. The World Health Organization (WHO) called on the Chinese population on Wednesday to “take measures to reduce the risk of respiratory diseases.” At the same time, WHO asked Chinese authorities for more information about the reported increase in such cases among children in the north of the country.
The outbreak of a new type of lung disease is escalating in cities across the country. Hospitals across the country are “overcrowded with sick children,” reports the British newspaper “The Telegraph.”
WHO wants to answer
“WHO has officially asked China for detailed information on the increase in respiratory diseases and the reported increase in pneumonia in children,” the UN health agency said.
At a press conference on November 13, Chinese authorities attributed the increase in respiratory diseases to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the spread of known pathogens. The flu and bacterial infections would affect the children.
“Undiagnosed pneumonia”
The situation now appears to be deteriorating. Promed – a global surveillance system for outbreaks of diseases in humans and animals – issued a warning late on Tuesday. It was also a Promed warning that first made experts worldwide aware of a mysterious virus called Sars-Cov-2 in late December 2019. An epidemic of “undiagnosed pneumonia” in children is now being described.
In an editor’s note, Promed says: “This report indicates a widespread outbreak of undiagnosed pneumonia. It is not at all clear when this outbreak started as it would be unusual for so many children to be affected so quickly.”
“It is still too early,” the editor adds, “to predict whether this could be a new pandemic. But as a wise flu virologist once told me, ‘The pandemic clock is ticking, we just don’t know what time it is.’”
Schools are particularly affected
This latest Promed report is based on a report from Taiwanese news portal FTV News. It said hospitals in Beijing and Liaoning, nearly 500 miles northeast of the capital, are struggling with an influx of children with pneumonia. Chinese social platform Weibo reported on Thursday that emergency departments in the coastal city of Xiamen, near Taiwan, were also overcrowded.
“Many, many are in hospital,” a “citizen of Beijing” told FTV News. “You don’t cough and have no complaints. They just have a high fever and many develop lung nodules.” Some school classes have been canceled entirely, the report continues. “Not only are all students sick, but the teachers are also infected with pneumonia.”
Many traces of the Covid pandemic pointed to China. The country blocked all attempts to investigate the case and destroyed relevant data.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
