BBC News Top Stories-World WHO seeks China data on pneumonia clusters in children
November 23, 2023 2 min 398 words
这则报道揭示了中国北方儿童中出现的“未诊断肺炎簇集”，引起了世卫组织的关切。中国官方将此次流感样疾病激增归因于解除防疫措施，但世卫组织要求中国提供更多信息。尽管类似病例引发对疫情的担忧，但请注意，在北京回应前，我们无法得知感染激增的原因。解封后，中国北方自十月以来报告“流感样疾病”增加，但世卫组织强调未确定报道的肺炎爆发与呼吸道感染总体增加是否相关。对于世卫组织提出的疫苗接种、佩戴口罩和勤洗手等基本预防措施，中国民众有必要认真对待。这一情况提醒我们，防控依旧是全球共同努力的重要课题。
The World Health Organization (WHO) has asked China for more information on "clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia" reportedly spreading among children in the north of the country.
Non-state media reports say paediatric hospitals in parts of the country are overwhelmed with sick children.
Chinese authorities have attributed a spike in flu-like illnesses this winter to the lifting of Covid measures.
The WHO is urging people in China to take measures to reduce transmission.
In a statement, the UN health agency says it wants more information on reports in the media and from ProMed - a global outbreak surveillance system - of "clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China".
After the WHO statement was released, state-run Xinhua news agency published an article on Thursday which quoted officials of the National Health Commission as saying they were paying close attention to the diagnosis and care of children with respiratory illnesses.
While mentions of China and a wave of infection can get people jittery as it brings memories of the coronavirus pandemic, it's good practice for the WHO to ask for clarity. But until Beijing responds, there is no way of knowing why this spike of infections has come.
Since October, northern China has reported an "increase in influenza-like illness" compared to the same period over the past three years, the WHO adds.
Last week, China's National Health Commission said there had been a rise in several respiratory diseases across the country - in particular influenza, Covid, mycoplasma pneumoniae - a common bacterial infection affecting younger children - and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Officials attributed the rise to the lifting of Covid restrictions.
Other countries, including the UK and the US, saw similar surges in flu-like illnesses once pandemic restrictions were lifted.
"China is likely experiencing a major wave of childhood respiratory infections now as this is the first winter after their lengthy lockdown, which must have drastically reduced the circulation of respiratory bugs, and hence decreased immunity to endemic bugs," said Prof Francois Balloux of the University College of London Genetics Institute.
The WHO says it is unclear if the reported pneumonia outbreak and overall increase in respiratory infections reported by Beijing are linked - and has made an official request for more detailed information.
It has urged people in China to take basic precautions like getting vaccinated, wearing masks and hand-washing.