WHO seeks details from China on respiratory illness outbreaks – CBC

Chinese authorities on Nov. 13 reported an increase in cases of respiratory disease

Nov 23, 2023

The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked China for details on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children, which its China office on Thursday called a “routine” check.

Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission held a press conference on Nov. 13 to report an increase in incidence of respiratory disease.

Authorities attributed the increase to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and the circulation of known pathogens such as influenza, mycoplasma pneumoniae, a common bacterial infection that typically affects younger children, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and the virus that causes COVID-19.

Both China and the WHO have faced questions about the transparency of reporting on the earliest COVID-19 cases that emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/world-health-organization-china-respiratory-illness-1.7037299