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Unexplained pneumonia among Chinese children raises global concern: What we know so far

The pneumonia outbreak in China was reported in mid-October when several children fell sick suddenly and hospitals started facing trouble with treating the high number of patients.

By Indrajeet Devulapally

Updated On - 23 November 2023, 08:54 PM

Unexplained pneumonia among Chinese children raises global concern: What we know so far — Children receive a drip at a children hospital in Beijing on November 23, 2023. The World Health Organization has asked on November 23, 2023, China for more data on a respiratory illness spreading in the north of the country, urging people to take steps to reduce the risk of infection. China has reported an increase in "influenza-like illness" since mid-October when compared to the same period in the previous three years, the WHO said.

After the devastating Covid-19, which originated in China’s Wuhan, there is yet another mysterious respiratory illness troubling the country right now. Scientists have raised concern over the “mysterious pneumonia-like illness” that has left hospitals in China overwhelmed with sick children.

The outbreak of pneumonia has escalated in cities across the country including Beijing, according to reports. The children are primarily suffering with symptoms like high fever, with some of them developing pulmonary nodules. However, there is no indication so far that the infections are deadly.

Here is what we know about it so far:

The new outbreak was reported in mid-October when several children fell sick suddenly and hospitals started facing trouble with treating the high number of patients.

ProMed – a large, publicly available surveillance system which monitors human and animal disease outbreaks worldwide, issued a notification detailing the undiagnosed illness that several children across China are suffering from currently.

According to a Taiwanese news website FTV News, children were being rushed to hospitals in Beijing and Liaoning with symptoms including high fever, inflammation in lungs without any cough. A citizen of Beijing, in an interview with the media outlet, has said that “many many children are hospitalised in the city currently. They don’t have a cough and have no symptoms. They just have high fever and many are developing pulmonary nodules.”

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO), asked the Chinese Health authorities for more detailed information on the disease, its causes, symptoms and the lab reports.

On November 13, the officials of the National Health Commission of China, in a press conference stated that the primary symptoms that were observed in the patients so far were pneumonia, fever, difficulty in breathing, so severe in some cases that hospitalisation is required.

WHO has said that it wants to know more about the disease so that it could understand the disease’s nature better and help China battle the disease. It has also formally issued an advisory to the public living in the affected areas to take necessary measures including practicing good hygiene, staying informed about the situation, and seeking medical attention for respiratory conditions.

Given the global impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had, there is heightened sensitivity and concern around this outbreak. WHO’s early involvement also underscores the importance of the information sharing and cooperation in addressing the issue, which if left unanswered, could potentially turn into another global health emergency.

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