23 November 2023 , 12:50
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Images have shown sick children in Chinese hospitals as a mystery pneumonia outbreak sweeps through schools sparking an urgent World Health Organisation probe.
In grim echoes of scenes when Covid first broke out, hospitals in Beijing have reportedly been “overwhelmed” by ill kids who have a high fever and a lung infection. The WHO has made an official request to China for information about the respiratory illness.
It is rare for the UN health agency to publicly ask for more detailed information from countries, as such requests are typically made internally. The WHO said that northern China has reported a jump in influenza-like illnesses since mid-October compared to the previous three years.
New diseases, especially flu strains or other viruses capable of triggering pandemics, typically start with undiagnosed clusters of respiratory illness and both Sars and Covid-19 were first reported as unusual types of pneumonia.
Children have been reported with high temperatures (AFP via Getty Images)ProMed, that monitors global disease outbreaks, issued a warning on Tuesday. It quoted a man in Beijing, identified as Mr W, saying: "Many, many are hospitalised. They don't cough and have no symptoms. They just have a high temperature and many develop pulmonary nodules."
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
It described a similar situation in Liaoning province, around 500 miles from Beijing, where ProMed said the lobby of the local children's hospital was full with many kids receiving intravenous drips. It quoted a staff member at Dalian Central Hospital saying: "Patients have to wait in line for two hours, and we are all in the emergency department and there are no general outpatient clinics."
The WHO cited unspecified media reports and a global infectious disease monitoring service as reporting undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China and said it was unclear whether those were linked to a rise in respiratory infections reported by Chinese authorities.
Hospitals have been reportedly “overwhelmed” by ill kids (AFP via Getty Images)Scientists outside of the country said the situation warranted close monitoring, but were not convinced that the recent spike in respiratory illnesses in China signalled the start of a new global outbreak. The WHO noted that authorities at China's National Health Commission on November 13 reported an increase in respiratory diseases, which they said was due to the lifting of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
Other countries also saw a jump in respiratory diseases such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) when pandemic restrictions ended. The WHO said media reports about a week later reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China.
Kids pictured with intravenous drips (AFP via Getty Images)"It is unclear if these are associated with the overall increase in respiratory infections previously reported by Chinese authorities, or separate events," the WHO said, adding that it had requested more details from China about currently circulating viruses and any increased burden on hospitals, via an international legal mechanism.
Dr David Heymann of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said there was a likely background of seasonal respiratory infections. "The challenge is to discern the outbreaks and determine the cause," he said, adding that genetic sequencing and isolating cases would be critical. He led the WHO's response to the 2002-2003 Sars outbreak.
People waiting on a staircase at a hospital (AFP via Getty Images)Francois Balloux of University College London said the current wave of disease in China was likely due to respiratory illnesses like flu, RSV or a bacterial infection. He said China was probably experiencing a significant wave of childhood infections since this was the first winter since lockdown restrictions were lifted, which likely reduced children's immunity to common bugs. "Unless new evidence emerges, there is no reason to suspect the emergence of a novel pathogen," Mr Balloux said.
After Sars broke out in southern China in 2002, Beijing officials told doctors to hide patients, with some being driven around in ambulances while WHO scientists were visiting the country. That prompted the WHO to threaten to close its office in China. Nearly two decades later, China stalled on sharing critical details about the coronavirus with the UN health agency after the new virus emerged in late 2019.
The WHO publicly applauded China's commitment to stopping the virus - weeks before it started causing explosive epidemics worldwide. "While WHO seeks this additional information, we recommend that people in China follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness," the agency said, advising people to get vaccinated, isolate if they are feeling ill, wear masks if necessary and get medical care as needed.