The new disease outbreak in northern China worries the outside world.
The World Health Organization, WHO, has made an “official request for detailed information” about the reported clusters of pneumonia among the Chinese children.
At the same time, the WHO recommends the Chinese to, among other things, use the prescribed vaccines, keep their distance and stay at home in case of illness, the organization writes in a press release.
Symptoms that are confusing
Hospitals both in Beijing and in Liaoning, 80 miles north of the capital, have been affected by the strange cases of illness. It sounds the alarm Promwhich is a surveillance system that monitors disease outbreaks worldwide.
Promed writes that many hospitals are completely overwhelmed by sick children and quotes an interview in local media:
– Many, many are hospitalized. They do not cough and have no similar symptoms. They just have a high fever and many develop lung nodules, said Wei, a resident of Beijing.
May have spread in schools
According to Promed, it is unknown when the outbreak started and that it is unusual for so many children to be affected so quickly.
“The fact that no adults were affected indicates that infection may have occurred at school,” writes Promed.
Some school classes are said to have been completely canceled as a result of the outbreak, as teachers are also said to have been infected.
The surveillance system highlights the fact that this is China’s first winter without severe covid restrictions as a possible explanation for the disease outbreak.
The doctor: “I’m worried”
At the end of 2019, reports came from China about an “undiagnosed pneumonia” – which would later be named covid-19. Doctor Krutika Kuppalli, who works with the WHO’s emergency programme, compares the situation now with what prevailed then.
– I was very worried when the first reports about the alarm came at the end of 2019 and I am worried now. Jumping to conclusions when we don’t have information isn’t helpful. We do not know what they have been tested for, the doctor signs X and continues:
– This could really be anything and we need more information