© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: People stand next to children sitting in camping carts as they wait for their rides outside a children’s hospital in Beijing, China November 27, 2023. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/File Photo
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Welcome to Shenzhen, China where a surge in respiratory illness is causing concern. However, a health official has clarified that these illnesses are caused by known pathogens and are not a result of new infectious diseases. This assurance comes at a critical time for the country as it faces its first full winter since lifting strict COVID-19 restrictions.
The spike in illness in the country where COVID emerged in late 2019 attracted the spotlight when the World Health Organization sought information last week. They cited a report on clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children, further amplifying concerns.
To address the situation, Chinese authorities are taking steps such as opening more paediatric outpatient clinics, ensuring more elderly people and children receive flu vaccines, and encouraging people to wear masks and wash their hands. Mi Feng, an official with China’s National Health Commission, shared these measures at a press conference.
While the increase in respiratory diseases is causing worry, doctors in China and experts abroad are not expressing alarm. This is because many other countries saw similar increases in respiratory diseases after easing pandemic measures, which China did at the end of last year.