GENEVA, Switzerland
People in China should wear masks, socially distance and stay home if unwell amid an outbreak of a mystery respiratory illness, global health chiefs have warned.
Cases of 'undiagnosed
pneumonia' have been detected at hospitals in Beijing and in Liaoning, a
province 500 miles northeast of the capital.
Health facilities are
'overwhelmed with sick children' and classes are on the verge of being
suspended according to local news reports.
Infected children are
presenting with lung inflammation and a high fever, but not a cough or other
symptoms that signal flu, RSV or another respiratory illness.
The situation prompted an
alert from ProMed — a disease surveillance system which similarly sounded the
alarm of a mystery infection in Wuhan in the closing days of 2019, which would
later emerge as the global Covid pandemic.
The World Health Organization
(WHO) has urged residents to don face coverings, stay away from ill people and
remain at home if unwell. It has also called for the famously opaque nation to
share 'detailed information' on the outbreak.
Chinese officials first
reported an increase in respiratory diseases at a press conference on November
13, which they attributed to lifting lockdown restrictions.
Similar patterns had been seen
worldwide as measures brought in to reduce the spread of Covid — such as face
masks, social distancing and lockdowns — interrupted the spread of typical
seasonal viruses, such as flu and RSV.
As a result, immunity against
these bugs dropped across populations meaning people were more vulnerable to
bugs as measures were lifted.
Officials blamed mycoplasma
pneumoniae — a bacteria that causes lung infections — as well as respiratory
syncytial virus (RSV) and Covid for the spike in illness.
Then ProMed this week reported
clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children.
An editor's note on the alert
reads: 'This report suggests a widespread outbreak of an undiagnosed
respiratory illness… It is not at all clear when this outbreak started, as it
would be unusual for so many children to be affected so quickly.
'The report does not say that
any adults were affected, suggesting some exposure at the schools.
'ProMed awaits more definitive
information about the etiology and scope of this concerning illness in China.'
It is unclear if these cases
are linked to the overall increase in respiratory infections already reported
by Chinese officials, or separate and potentially caused by a new virus.
The WHO said it has now called
on China to share data on these patients, recent trends in the circulation of
viruses and pressures on hospitals.
The UN health agency said it
is also in contact with medics and scientists in a bid to understand the
situation.
In the meantime, it urged
people in China to 'follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness'.
These include 'recommended
vaccination; keeping distance from people who are ill; staying home when ill;
getting tested and medical care as needed; wearing masks as appropriate;
ensuring good ventilation; and regular hand-washing', the WHO said.
The source for the ProMed
alert was a report by the Taiwanese outlet FTV News, which added that 'parents
questioned whether the authorities were covering up the epidemic.'
China has previously been
criticised for downplaying the original SARS epidemic in 2003 and the Covid
pandemic in late 2019 — which were both novel viruses that caused pneumonia.
WHO China, the regional branch
of the United Nations backed health body, has already sought to downplay the
wider WHO's request for information, calling it a 'routine' procedure.
British infectious disease
experts said that, while data was still emerging, China must 'get a grip' on
the outbreak and do so in 'transparent' fashion.
Dr Simon Clarke, a cellular
microbiologist at the University of Reading, told reporters that experts were
waiting on further analysis of the outbreak.
'There are lots of germs which
can cause a patient's lungs to become inflamed and as the northern hemisphere
moves towards winter, they are likely to become more prevalent,' he said.
'We don't yet have
confirmation of what is causing this outbreak in China, it may be something new
or it may be a new version of something we've encountered before.'
However, he added that Chinese
public health experts must uncover the source of the infection and, if
necessary, contain the spread.
A news clip taken from FTV News appears to show a busy hospital waiting room in China with children receiving intravenous drips.
'It's important that medical
science in China gets a grip on what is causing this outbreak and whether there
is any person-to-person spread,' he said.
'It was failure to contain
Covid-19 and an overall lack of transparency that caused so much damage four
years ago.
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