Several respiratory illnesses are co-circulating in China this year after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.
ADVERTISEMENTChina has not detected any new or unknown pathogen amid rising respiratory illnesses in the country, a World Health Organization (WHO) official told Euronews Next.
"Today we had a call with colleagues from China's CDC and one of the main hospitals in Beijing to get an overview of what is actually happening across the country," Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO's interim director for epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention, said on Thursday evening.
"Essentially what China has been observing and picked up through their national surveillance systems is an increase in respiratory infections across the board, but mainly among school-aged children, and this is due to a number of pathogens that are known," she added.
Officials spoke via teleconference after WHO requested more details from China about clusters of pneumonia in children on Wednesday.
"They didn't detect any new pathogens or any unknown pathogens, and I think that's important to mention that it isn't something that's new, but that this increase is due to several known pathogens," said Van Kerkhove.
WHO said in a disease outbreak report issued on Thursday that these increases have come earlier in the season than historically experienced but that it was not unexpected given the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions earlier this year.
"I think the reason that they're seeing this and what they attribute it to is an increased lifting of the COVID restrictions about a year ago," Van Kerkhove told Euronews Next.
"This is their first autumn-winter season, and what China is experiencing right now is what many countries experienced a year or two ago," she added.
"So there isn't a report of undiagnosed disease in children, but in fact, their current surveillance systems, which are capturing more than 13 pathogens, are detecting an increase in pneumonia."
This "mycoplasma pneumonia" is a common cause of paediatric pneumonia, WHO said and can be treated with antibiotics.
Reports of pneumonia in children
The global health agency made an official request for more information after reports of "undiagnosed pneumonia" in children in northern China.
"It is unclear if these are associated with the overall increase in respiratory infections previously reported by Chinese authorities, or separate events," WHO said in a statement on Wednesday.
Officials from China's National Health Commission told the state's Xinhua News Agency this week that this was a period of high incidence of infectious diseases and recommended that children with mild symptoms see primary health institutions before going to the hospitals.
China began easing its zero-COVID-19 policy last year and reopened to foreign tourists this past spring.
COVID-19 vaccine recommended
After the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in Europe, many countries indicated an increase in paediatric hospitalisations due especially to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
European healthcare systems were stretched last winter due to the co-circulation of RSV, flu, and COVID-19.
Officials have urged people to get vaccinated against both COVID-19 and flu in order to reduce seasonal infections and crowded hospitals this year.
WHO recommended that people in China continue to get vaccinated, keep their distance from people who are sick, wear masks, ensure good ventilation and wash their hands to prevent respiratory illness.
ADVERTISEMENTThe agency had requested additional epidemiological information as well as laboratory results from the reported pneumonia clusters in children. China had to respond to the WHO request within 24 hours, according to the International Health Regulations.
This story has been updated with comments from a WHO official.
