Reports Of Mysterious Pneumonia Outbreak In China Sparks Fear, WHO Seeks Details

ProMed issued a notification stating about a reported epidemic of “undiagnosed pneumonia” in children in China.

China witnesses an outbreak in cases of pneumonia among children/Representational Image

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Hospitals in China have been “overwhelmed” with “sick children” as many cities witness an outbreak of pneumonia that has escalated across the country including capital Beijing. According to ProMed — a publicly available surveillance system that monitors human and animal disease outbreaks worldwide — a notification was issued on Tuesday stating about a reported epidemic of “undiagnosed pneumonia” in children, reported Telegraph. 

A ProMed alert in late December 2019 about a mystery virus later named Sars-Cov-2 caught the attention of many doctors and scientists, including senior officials at the World Health Organization.

“This report suggests a widespread outbreak of an undiagnosed respiratory illness," an editor's note by ProMed stated. 

"It is not at all clear when this outbreak started as it would be unusual for so many children to be affected so quickly. The report does not say that any adults were affected suggesting some exposure at the schools," the note read further. 

In its latest post which was based on a report from Taiwanese outlet FTV News, ProMed said that the hospitals in Beijing and Liaoning – almost 500 miles northeast were struggling amid a surge in children sick with pneumonia. 

“Many, many are hospitalised,” Mr Wei, a Beijing citizen, told FTV News, as per the Telegraph report. “They don’t cough and have no symptoms. They just have a high temperature (fever) and many develop pulmonary nodules.”

It said that more definitive information was needed to determine the cause and scope. 

Possibility Of ‘Walking Pneumonia’ 

The Telegraph report stated that the outbreak could be linked to Mycoplasma pneumoniae, also known as “walking pneumonia”, which is reportedly rising in the country as it enters its first winter without the stringent Covid-19 curbs. 

Countries like the US and UK have also seen similar surges in disease such as RSV and flu after the pandemic restrictions were lifted.

The symptoms of walking pneumonia, which usually affects younger children, include a sore throat, fatigue, and a lingering cough that can last for weeks or months. 

WHO Seeks Detailed Report

The World Health Organisation has taken note of the media and ProMed reports and sought a detailed report from China on the cases. 

“WHO has made an official request to #China for detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children,” it said in a post on X. 

“On 21 November, media and ProMED reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China. It is unclear if these are associated with the overall increase in respiratory infections previously reported by Chinese authorities, or separate events,” said the WHO. 

“On 22 November, WHO requested additional epidemiologic and clinical information, as well as laboratory results from these reported clusters among children, through the International Health Regulations mechanism,” it added. 

The health agency has urged people in China to follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness.