China's pneumonia cases: should we be worried?
Experts warn against pushing 'pandemic panic button' following outbreak of respiratory illness
A surge in unexplained pneumonia cases among children in northern China is triggering fears of another pandemic.
The World Health Organization (WHO) last week made an "official request" to Beijing for more information about the increase in respiratory illnesses, after an alert was published by monitoring service ProMed, part of the International Society for Infectious Diseases.
The alert was titled "Undiagnosed pneumonia – China (Beijing, Liaoning)", wording that "echoed the first-ever notice" about what would become Covid-19, sent on 30 December 2019, said Reuters's global health correspondent Jennifer Rigby.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
What are the reported symptoms?
Northern China has recorded a rise in flu-like illnesses since mid-October compared with the same period in the last three years, including clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children.
According to a media report that sparked the ProMed alert, children's hospitals in Beijing and Liaoning, 500 miles apart, have been "overwhelmed" with sick youngsters.
ProMed said that it was "not at all clear when the outbreak started" and that "it would be unusual for so many children to be affected so quickly".
A "Beijing citizen" reportedly told Taiwanese outlet FTV News that "fever" was the main symptom in the sick children. They "don't cough", said the man, named only as Mr Wei, but "many develop pulmonary nodules".
What are experts saying?
A pulmonary nodule is a "small lump in the lung, revealed by an X-ray or CT scan", explained New Scientist, and "are usually the result of ongoing or past infections", typically bacterial rather than viral.
Although bacterial infections "can be just as dangerous as viral ones", the site said, "when it comes to pandemic potential, they are regarded as less of a threat", because "bacteria replicate and evolve much more slowly" than viruses do.
All the same, the "news of another mystery outbreak has set alarm bells ringing", said Sky News, amid fears of another emerging pathogen that could spark a pandemic. But experts have "warned against jumping to conclusions".
Marion Koopmans, a Dutch virologist who advised the WHO on Covid-19, told Reuters that "we really need more information, particularly diagnostic information".
The Chinese authorities have attributed the rise in respiratory illness to the lifting of Covid testing and isolation rules last December.
The UK experienced an uptick in seasonal virus infections in 2022, as people mingled more after the spread of illnesses was suppressed by lockdowns and measures such as wearing masks.
And "this is China's first winter since its strict lockdowns", said New Scientist, "so there will be a much larger number of children than usual who haven't been exposed to certain viruses and bacteria before, and therefore have no immunity".
Conversely, the site continued, "if these cases in China were being caused by a new pathogen, lots of adults should be getting ill too, as they would also have no previous exposure".
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said last week that based on the data available so far, the recent increase in respiratory diseases in China was probably caused by pathogens such as flu, RSV, Covid-19 and mycoplasma pneumonia, a common bacterial infection that typically affects younger children.
The agency was "closely monitoring" the outbreak, said UKHSA chief executive Jenny Harries, adding: "We need to keep an open mind about the cause."
How likely is another pandemic?
"Given the number of pathogens evolving away", said New Scientist, there will "definitely" be another pandemic "eventually".
Public health expert Brian McCloskey, who advised the WHO on the pandemic, told Reuters that he was "not going to push the pandemic panic button on the basis of what we know so far" about the China outbreak.
"But I will be very keen to see the response to WHO from China and see the WHO’s assessment following that," McCloskey added.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Keumars Afifi-Sabet is a freelance writer at The Week Digital, and is the technology editor on Live Science, another Future Publishing brand. He was previously features editor with ITPro, where he commissioned and published in-depth articles around a variety of areas including AI, cloud computing and cybersecurity. As a writer, he specialises in technology and current affairs. In addition to The Week Digital, he contributes to Computeractive and TechRadar, among other publications.
-
The value of silence
Under The Radar In a world 'filled with constant yapping' some are making an effort to keep schtum
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Today's political cartoons - May 19, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - 2024 votes, AI woes, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 high rating cartoons about Biden's low poll numbers
Cartoons Artists take on checklists, ice creams, and more
By The Week US Published
-
What reclassifying cannabis could change
The Explainer The Biden administration's move to change marijuana from a Schedule I narcotic to Schedule III could reshape the pot landscape even if it doesn't mean full federal legalization
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
The complicated problem of banning menthol cigarettes
The Explainer Banning menthol smokes will save lives, public health officials say. But this is an election year.
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
The bird flu fight is faltering
Talking Points Are pandemic lessons going unheeded?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Immunotherapy and hay fever
The Explainer Research shows that the treatment could provide significant relief from symptoms for many hay fever sufferers
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Lead poisoning remains a threat
The Explainer The toxin is built into our lives
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
How women's pain is often ignored in health care
the explainer The gap in care is especially glaring compared to how men are treated
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
How AI is changing drug development
The Explainer Machine learning is allowing scientists to speed up the process of drug discovery and development
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published
-
Doulas are filling the gaps in maternal care for Black women
The Explainer Birth workers are stepping up to support some of the most vulnerable pregnancies
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published