China's pneumonia outbreak: What we know so far
China is currently experiencing a rise in respiratory illnesses, said to be pneumonia mainly affecting children, amid the winter onset and a spike in flu cases. China has clarified the outbreak is caused by flu and other known pathogens and not a novel virus. In response, India's Health and Family Welfare Ministry has issued a health advisory for all states and union territories. It urged them to review public health preparedness as the cases in northern China continue to grow.
Why does this story matter?
Two weeks ago, China's National Health Commission reported a rise in respiratory illnesses. ProMED—a public disease surveillance system that earlier raised an alarm about respiratory illnesses in China that later turned out to be COVID-19—reported last week that Chinese hospitals were "overwhelmed with sick children." Following this, some media reports and social media users dubbed the outbreak "a new virus coming from China," fearing a reprise of the COVID-19 pandemic that began in China in 2019 and disrupted the world.
WHO seeks clarity from China
The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked Chinese authorities for more information about the surge in illnesses. It said common causes like influenza, mycoplasma pneumonia, and SARS-CoV-2 are behind the surge of cases, adding there is no cause for alarm. The WHO noted China is closely monitoring trends in viruses such as flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2 (which causes COVID-19). Moreover, experts say there's no evidence to suggest a new virus is responsible for the spike in infections.
Observed symptoms and affected areas in China
Symptoms of these respiratory illnesses include fever, lung inflammation with no coughing, and pulmonary nodules—lumps on the lungs typically caused by past infections. While no deaths have been reported so far, the outbreak has mainly affected Beijing and northeastern Liaoning province, among other areas in China. Some kids in Beijing have mycoplasma pneumonia, a common type of pneumonia in children that can be treated with antibiotics. To note, China began monitoring mycoplasma pneumonia for the first time in October.
Experts weigh in on outbreak
Meanwhile, experts think a number of factors like the winter's arrival, the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, and children's lack of previous immunity are likely reasons for the rising infections. Francois Balloux, a professor at University College London, stated that unless new evidence suggests otherwise, "there is no reason to suspect the emergence of a novel pathogen." Paul Hunter from the United Kingdom's University of East Anglia emphasized, "At present, there is too little information to make a definitive diagnosis."
What Indian government has said
The Indian health ministry's advisory attributed the rise in cases of respiratory illnesses to ongoing flu and winter season. The government said there is "no need for any alarm" while advising an immediate review of the preparedness of hospitals and necessary equipment. It directed the district and state surveillance units of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP) to closely monitor the trends of influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI), especially among children.
