Mysterious outbreak of respiratory diseases, WHO reacts: What is happening in China

No new or unknown pathogens have been detected in China.

This is the official reaction of the World Health Organization after the country began to register a significant number of cases of respiratory problems this year.

"Today we had a call with colleagues from the China CDC and one of the main hospitals in Beijing to get an overview of what is actually happening across the country," said Maria Van Kerkhove, interim director of the WHO- of preparation and prevention against epidemics and pandemics on Thursday night.

 "Essentially what China has observed and captured through their national surveillance systems is an increase in respiratory infections among all age groups, but primarily among school-aged children, and this is due to a number of pathogens that are known." , she added.

The officials spoke via teleconference after the WHO requested more details from China about clusters of pneumonia in children on Wednesday.

"They didn't discover any new pathogens or any unknown pathogens, and I think it's important to mention that it's not something new, but this increase is due to some known pathogens," Van Kerkhove said .

In a published report, the WHO said on Thursday that the increased number of cases was recorded earlier than usual for the season in which the country is in, but added that this is normal given the lifting of anti-covid restrictions.

"This is their first fall-winter season without restrictions and what China is experiencing now is what many countries experienced a year or two ago," she added. (A2 Televizion)