As long as a health situation minimally reminds beginnings of the Covid pandemic, the alerts turn on. Those in China have been on for several weeks, since the National Health Commission warned, in the middle of the month, of a considerable increase in the incidence of respiratory diseases. This spike was initially attributed to the lifting of restrictions at a time of habitual circulation of pathogens already known—the flu viruses, the bacteria that cause childhood pneumonia, the respiratory syncytal virus (RSV) or SARS-CoV-2 itself, for example—; However, a week after that warning, the media and ProMED, a surveillance system for infectious disease outbreaks, reported on clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in the north of the country.

In this situation, the World Health Organization (WHO) has requested the Chinese Government detailed information on the increase in respiratory diseases and, in particular, childhood pneumonia. Specifically, it has requested epidemiological and clinical information, laboratory results and information on recent trends in the circulation of these pathogens already known.

Beijing’s response was immediate, and arrived within the 24-hour period allowed for it: the health authorities have not detected no unusual or new pathogensas happened in 2019, when an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology was detected that ended up becoming a global pandemic and paralyzing half the planet for weeks.

Beijing’s response on viruses

In a teleconference between WHO authorities and health authorities from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and also from the Beijing children’s hospital, the increase in outpatient consultations and hospital admissions among childrenmainly due to bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae since last May and RSV, adenovirus and influenza virus since October.

He resurgence of some of these diseases It takes place in its usual season. However, experts have indicated that the rebound among those that have been registered since May is not unexpected, taking into account the lifting of Covid restrictions, approved precisely in May. What is happening right now in China is very similar to what has happened in other countries when the mask requirement is lifted, for example.

The health authorities nor have they detected changes in the presentation of these diseases, nor changes in their presentation, in addition to the fact that the pathogens are the ones that usually cause these respiratory infectious diseases. Of course, the increase in these diseases is leading hospitals to exceed their hospital capacity.

Hospitals full of cases of childhood pneumonia

An official at the Beijing children’s hospital explained this week that the current average number of daily patients is above 7,000, “far exceeding” the center’s hospital capacity. Tianjin’s main pediatric hospital, for its part, broke a record last Saturday, receiving more than 13,000 children in its outpatient center and emergency departments, according to several local media.

“Right now we have many children here,” they told CNN from the Beijing hospital. “Those who arrived from the emergency room yesterday have not yet been able to see the doctor this morning“, they pointed out. Of course, apparently the typical seasonal diseases that are crowding hospitals, which generally cause mild infections, are being the main causes.