The World Health Organization is reportedly demanding answers from China over an outbreak of pneumonia among children in the northern part of the country – raising questions again about how transparent Beijing is in sharing public health data.
The WHO issued an official information request – which seeks “additional epidemiological and clinical information, as well as laboratory results” – after reports emerged on Tuesday of a cluster of undiagnosed pneumonia, according to the Wall Street Journal.
While the request itself is fairly routine, the outlet said it is “relatively rare” for a United Nations agency to do so publicly.
But the WHO’s concerns may stem from China’s poor data-sharing record during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Journal added.
“There is no doubt that WHO has been concerned about transparency and communication of data,” a Beijing-based global health official told the newspaper.
“It also puts pressure on countries that have been asked to cooperate.”
In recent weeks, Chinese health officials and state media have reported a surge in bacterial pneumonia and other flu-like illnesses that specifically strike children, the Journal said.
The World Health Organization has requested epidemiological and clinical information on the outbreak, the Wall Street Journal said. NurPhoto via Getty Images
But Chinese authorities claim the disease has emerged in such large numbers in part because the country is lifting severe COVID-19 controls – which have also reduced the spread of other respiratory diseases.
“The disease has returned to its pre-epidemic behavior this year, and the incidence level has returned to normal compared to before the epidemic,” Tong Zhaohui, director of the Beijing Institute of Respiratory Medicine, said during a press conference earlier this month.
So infections such as mycoplasma pneumonia – a bacterial disease that commonly affects children – may appear every few years, he added.
“Everyone should pay attention and practice personal protective measures, which is the key to prevention,” Zhaohui said.
China’s National Health Commission did not respond to the Journal’s inquiries.
Chinese officials have acknowledged the outbreak, and are advising people to avoid overcrowded hospitals. AP
But commission officials admit that children’s hospitals have been overwhelmed with sick children.
“Big hospitals are overcrowded, have long waiting times, and there is a high risk of cross-infection,” a representative of the commission said during an interview with the official Xinhua News Agency, before recommending that children with mild symptoms go to their local doctor first.
Some schools in Beijing have also suspended classes that have seen high infection rates, the newspaper said.
The WHO urged the Chinese government to provide more reliable and accurate data on hospitalizations and deaths during the country’s COVID outbreak in January, the Journal said.
It has also asked the Chinese capital to disclose more information to the public about other respiratory illnesses its citizens may be dealing with, including flu and COVID-19.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
