China Says Recent Respiratory Illness Outbreak Not Caused By Novel Virus, Seeks More Fever Clinics

Chinese ministry has said that the recent surge in the cases of respiratory illness in the country is not caused by a novel virus.

Parents with children suffering from respiratory diseases line up at a children's hospital in Chongqing, China.

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Amid the rising number of respiratory illness cases across China and concerns around it, the country's health ministry has said that it was caused by the flu and other known pathogens and not by a novel virus. According to a report in The Guardian, a National Health Commission spokesperson said the recent respiratory infections are caused by an overlap of common viruses such as the influenza virus, rhinoviruses, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and adenovirus, as well as bacteria such as mycoplasma pneumonia, which is a common reason for respiratory tract infections.

The recent outbreak came forth after reports of China hospitals overwhelmed with sick children surfaced reminding the times of the Covid-19 pandemic. A ProMed alert in late December 2019 about a mystery virus was later named Sars-Cov-2, leading to lockdowns and strict measures across the globe.

The World Health Organisation took 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. 

Beijing meanwhile informed WHO that "no unusual or new pathogens" were detected in the cases. In a statement, the WHO said China attributed the rise in flu-like illnesses to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, arrival of winter and circulation of known pathogens such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2.

Chinese Ministry Calls For Opening More Fever Clinics

As the surge in cases of respiratory illness continues, the Chinese ministry has called on local authorities to open more fever clinics and promote vaccinations among children and elderly people, The Guardian reported.

"Efforts should be made to increase the opening of relevant clinics and treatment areas, extend service hours and increase the supply of medicines," said the ministry spokesperson, Mi Feng, quoted The Guardian.

He also advised people to wear masks and called on local authorities to focus on preventing the spread of illnesses in crowded places such as schools and nursing homes, something similar that happened in the case of the Covid-19 outbreak.

According to Reuters, Mi Feng said the increase was linked to the simultaneous circulation of several kinds of pathogens, most prominently influenza.

The Guardian mentioned it is rare for the UN health agency to publicly ask for detailed information from countries, as it happens internally. The WHO said it has asked for more data from China via an international legal mechanism.