China’s Hospitals Overwhelmed With Cases of Illness in Children
China is facing a surge in respiratory illnesses among children, leading to an increased scrutiny from the World Health Organization (WHO). Beijing hospitals are reportedly admitting thousands of patients daily, far exceeding the capacity of the institutions.
The largest pediatric hospital in Tianjin received over 13,000 children at its outpatient and emergency departments last week, and Liaoning province in northeast China is also grappling with high case numbers.
The WHO has issued a formal request for disease data on the respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children. This action is rare for the UN health agency, and Chinese health authorities later stated that they found no “unusual or novel diseases.”
According to Chinese health authorities, the rising infections are linked to the country’s first full cold season after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. They suggested that the lifting of the curbs, along with the circulation of known pathogens like mycoplasma pneumoniae, may have contributed to increasing cases of respiratory illnesses.
The outbreak in China has led to increased reports of “influenza-like illnesses” since mid-October, compared to previous years. The WHO has also noted that any link between clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia and a rise in respiratory infections is still unclear.
The outbreak has led to widespread outbreaks of an undiagnosed respiratory illness in several areas in China. Symptoms of the outbreak could be linked to mycoplasma pneumoniae, also known as “walking pneumonia”, and infected children may develop pulmonary nodules.
Some parents in Shanghai have expressed concerns about the wave of sickness, while experts are urging caution and await more information to determine the cause of the outbreak.
The situation has prompted the WHO to recommend that people in China follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness, get vaccinated, isolate if feeling ill, wear masks if necessary, and seek medical care as needed.
Ultimately, experts are calling for more information and caution as they work to discern the outbreaks and determine the cause of the surge in respiratory illnesses among children.