Particularly in light of the virus Covid-19 epidemic, an unexplained pneumonia outbreak that has been occurring in northern China since mid-October is raising concerns around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has observed the issue and has asked China for further information regarding the respiratory diseases that are spreading throughout the area.
Concerns were sparked by news reports and a post on an infectious disease surveillance system that another novel respiratory pathogen with pandemic potential was spreading to Beijing and Liaoning province in northern China. The reports mentioned “overwhelmed” hospitals, “clusters” of children with “undiagnosed pneumonia,” and parents wondering if “authorities were covering up the epidemic.”
However, the problem seems to be more of a byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic than a follow-up to it. The World Health Organization and independent specialists agree that it’s quite likely that a variety of common respiratory infections that were suppressed during the global health crisis are making a spectacular comeback in China right now. The US and many other nations have seen similar spikes in the last year or two. Like in other nations, children are primarily affected by the infection wave in China. Because of the health regulations, children were less exposed to a variety of germs, making them more susceptible to infections now.
Seasonal respiratory infections like as adenoviruses and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were thrown off their annual cycles because to the global explosion of Covid-19 transmission and the accompanying pandemic health measures. For example, the 2020–2021 flu season was essentially nonexistent in the US. However, those infections aggressively reappeared as the new coronavirus subsided and quarantines were relaxed. (Last year, there were early and severe peaks of RSV and flu in the US.)
The rigorous zero-COVID policy was only abolished by China at the end of 2022. As a result, there are no widespread limitations in place as the nation enters the respiratory transmission season this year.
“This phenomenon of ‘lockdown exit’ waves of respiratory infections is sometimes referred to as ‘immunity debt,'” said Francois Balloux, the head of the Genetics Institute at University College London, in a media release. He mentioned that similar waves were also seen in the UK and other nations. However, he went on, “It was expected that those ‘lockdown escape’ waves could be significant in China because that nation had a more harsher and lengthier lockdown than almost any other nation on Earth. There is no reason to suspect the advent of a novel pathogen unless additional evidence becomes available.”
Further details on China’s rise in pediatric respiratory illnesses were sought by the World Health Organization (WHO) last week after it was heavily criticized for its early response to the COVID-19 epidemic and its ties to China. To go over the needed data and ask questions, the UN agency had a teleconference with several Chinese health authorities on November 23. The WHO reported in a conference report that since May, there has been “an increase in outpatient consultations and hospital admissions of children due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia [aka “walking pneumonia”], and RSV, adenovirus, and influenza virus since October.”
Chinese authorities reported to the World Health Organization that although no uncommon or novel pathogens were found, the overall number of infections caused by several recognized pathogens had increased. They also admitted that while clinics and hospitals are busier than usual, intensive care units and hospital beds are not filled to capacity.
The WHO judged China’s facts and justifications reasonable, according to Maria Van Kerkhove, acting director of the agency’s department of epidemic and pandemic preparation and prevention, in an interview with Stat News. The officials displayed data, including age-specific data, from many disease surveillance systems. The World Health Organization also examined information from open databases and its own Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System.
We explicitly inquired as to whether you were witnessing a clustering of pneumonia cases that have gone undetected. And they declined. They provided us with the percentages of illnesses caused by mycoplasma pneumoniae, adenovirus, rhinovirus, and influenza,” the woman stated. “We inquired about parallels before the global health crisis.
Furthermore, the peak of the waves that they are currently witnessing is lower than it was in 2018 or 2019. Some important questions we posed were: Are there any cases for whom a diagnosis could not be made? No, they had infections from recognized pathogens. We inquired as to whether any novel variations or subtypes had been found. And the response was in the negative. We inquired if [they] had observed any peculiar clinical manifestations associated with these diseases. And they declined.”
“This is an overall increased wave, not discrete clusters,” she said. Essentially, the signal we were attempting to confirm wasn’t actually a signal at all. It only served as a signal for a nationwide rise in transmission.”
Though there is currently little information available in-depth regarding the instances, the WHO concluded that, on the whole, “the increasing trend in respiratory illnesses is expected.” The WHO recommended common sense respiratory season preventive measures in China, including vaccination against COVID-19 and the flu, staying at home when ill, donning masks, cleaning hands, and making sure there is adequate ventilation. The organization does not advise visitors visiting China to take any particular precautions.
Particularly in light of the Covid-19 epidemic, an unexplained pneumonia outbreak that has been occurring in northern China since mid-October is raising concerns around the world. The World Health Organization (WHO) has observed the issue and has asked China for further information regarding the respiratory diseases that are spreading throughout the area.
The number of people infected with a new virus in China tripled over the weekend, with the outbreak spreading from Wuhan to other major cities.
As of right now, Wuhan accounts for the majority of the more than 200 instances; however, Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen have also reported cases of the respiratory disease.
There have been three fatalities. Cases have been recorded from South Korea, Thailand, and Japan.
China has confirmed that the novel coronavirus strain, which causes a particular kind of pneumonia, may spread from person to person.
According to official media, Zhong Nanshan, a respiratory expert who leads the health commission team looking into the virus, 14 medical professionals have contracted it while treating patients.
Millions of Chinese are getting ready to travel for the Lunar New Year vacations, which coincides with the sharp spike.
While officials and scientists assume that a market is the source of the outbreak, they are unsure of the precise mechanism by which it has been spreading.
What we know about the virus
- 2019-nCoV, as it’s been labelled, is understood to be a new strain of coronavirus that has not previously been identified in humans
- Coronaviruses are a broad family of viruses, but only six (the new one would make it seven) are known to infect people
- Scientists believe an animal source is “the most likely primary source” but that some human-to-human transmission has occurred
- Signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties
- People are being advised to avoid “unprotected” contact with live animals, thoroughly cook meat and eggs, and avoid close contact with anyone with cold or flu-like symptoms.
(Source: World Health Organization)
Area Infected:
Wuhan, an 11 million-person metropolis in central China that has been at the centre of the outbreak, reported on Monday that 136 new cases had been confirmed over the weekend, and a third person had passed away from the illness. Only 62 instances had previously been confirmed in the city.
Nine patients were in serious condition out of the 170 patients receiving hospital treatment in Wuhan as of late Sunday, according to officials.
Five individuals in Beijing confirmed the first incidents as well. On Monday, Shanghai officially announced the case of a 56-year-old Wuhan resident.
After visiting family in Wuhan, a 66-year-old man in Shenzhen, a significant tech area near Hong Kong, began exhibiting symptoms of the virus, according to officials.
In Guangdong province, 14 further instances were reported by state media.
Four instances that include individuals who are either from Wuhan or have visited the city have been confirmed overseas: two in Thailand, one in Japan, and one in South Korea.
The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported that a 35-year-old Chinese woman had arrived in South Korea from Wuhan with respiratory issues and a fever. She was treated at a nearby hospital and placed in isolation.
Viral or bacterial pneumonia?
Both viral and bacterial pneumonia are lung illnesses, although they have different symptoms, causes, and courses of therapy. It is essential to comprehend these variations in order to provide prompt and efficient medical care. How to distinguish between these two types of pneumonia is provided here.
