What’s happening in China: WHO begins monitoring outbreaks of pneumonia in children and recommends resuming measures applied during the Covid-19 pandemic

Cases of pneumonia in children are increasing in China and the spotlight has begun to shine on the World Health Organization (WHO), which has requested detailed information on the issue.

Parents take their children with symptoms of the disease to hospital centers, reports EFE. While Infobae publishes that “several hospitals in China are being overwhelmed by a wave of undiagnosed childhood pneumonias in several cities including Beijing,” according to several reports.

According to EFE, an official from the National Health Commission “provided some advice to parents dealing with these diseases in their children, such as go to health centers first community or to the pediatrician if symptoms are mild”.

Infobae adds that “the global surveillance system ProMed issued a notification on Tuesday evening (November 21) indicating an outbreak of this respiratory disease in minors.”

The increase in respiratory diseases and pneumonia outbreaks among children in China is a concern for the WHO

Mycoplasma pneumonia and seasonal influenza

As of November 14, 2023, China reported experiencing a significant increase in respiratory diseases this winter, with a notable increase in the number of cases of mycoplasma pneumonia and seasonal flu, EFE reported.

On that occasion, “enhanced surveillance was requested, especially among vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children under five years of age and groups with weakened immune systems,” China Daily said, according to EFE.

According to MedLine Plus, mycoplasma pneumonia “is caused by the bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae). This type of pneumonia is also called atypical pneumonia because the symptoms are different from pneumonia caused by other common bacteria.”

The disease, EFE points out about what is happening in China, is “regionally epidemic every three to seven years and spreads rapidly in settings such as daycare centers and schools.”

The Symptoms of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Infobae describes, include sore throat, fatigue, and a persistent cough that can last weeks or months. In severe cases this can lead to pneumonia. Reports from Chinese hospitals over the past month indicate an increase in infections, with outbreaks mainly in schools and daycare centers.

The WHO explains that seasonal flu is “an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses circulating around the world. This infection carries a burden of disease throughout the year. It causes illnesses of varying severity and sometimes results in hospitalization and death.”

Health measures in China

In Medical Editorial on Wednesday, November 22, they indicated that “the situation in Liaoning province, as indicated by ProMED, is serious.”

Disease Monitoring Detects Emerging Pneumonia in China.

Medical writing

They described that “the lobby of Dalian Children’s Hospital is full of sick children who receive intravenous infusions. There are also queues of patients at traditional Chinese medicine hospitals and central hospitals.”

Patients have to wait in line for two hours, we are all in the emergency department and there is no general outpatient clinic.

Staff member of Dalian Central Hospital in medical writing

Chinese authorities on Thursday, November 23, asked to strengthen primary care and coordination between hospitals to cope with the increase in cases of respiratory infections in children, EFE reported.

The National Health Commission published “information on the medical centers that can treat these types of conditions in each location, so that parents can choose the nearest one and avoid crowds and the risk of infection in large hospitals.”

When to go to the doctor? “Parents should take their children to hospital if they have ‘very high or persistent fever’, ‘frequent coughing that affects normal life’ or ‘shortness of breath’.

What the WHO recommends

The World Health Organization announced that it has asked that country’s authorities for “detailed information on the recent increase in cases of respiratory disease and outbreaks of pneumonia in children.”

It already recommends “measures to reduce infections similar to those during the Covid-19 pandemic, such as wearing a mask, keeping your distance from sick people, staying home if symptoms are noticed, washing hands regularly and taking care for good health.” “.

Before Christmas 2019, the outbreak of Covid-19 began in China, leading to a major pandemic. According to the United Nations site citing WHO, “approximately 14.9 million people in the world died due to Covid-19 between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021.”

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(JO)