A new respiratory disease is blowing across China, filling up the hospitals with sick people.
The disease has taken hold so fast that it has already been declared an epidemic by ProMED, the International Society for Infectious Diseases.
The undiagnosed form of pneumonia has taken hold in Beijing and Liaoning, causing experts to panic.
A source told ProMED: “Many, many are hospitalized. They don’t cough and have no symptoms. They just have a high temperature (fever) and many develop pulmonary nodules.”
Infectious disease specialist Dr Neil Stone took to social media to warn of the outbreak.
He wrote on Twitter/X: “The last time I saw reports of an outbreak of undiagnosed pneumonia in China thought, naa…no big deal. Won’t amount to much. That was in December 2019. Not making that same mistake again.”
Not much is known about the virus, or what the symptoms are beyond what the source previously said.
However, the World Health Organisation appears sufficiently worried enough to have commented but admits that it needs more information from China as soon as possible.
A spokesman said: “WHO requested additional epidemiologic and clinical information, as well as laboratory results from these reported clusters among children, through the International Health Regulations mechanism.
“We have also requested further information about recent trends in the circulation of known pathogens including influenza, SARS-CoV-2, RSV and mycoplasma pneumonia, and the current burden on health care systems. WHO is also in contact with clinicians and scientists through our existing technical partnerships and networks in China.
“While WHO seeks this additional information, we recommend that people in China follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness, which include recommended vaccination; keeping distance from people who are ill; staying home when ill; getting tested and medical care as needed; wearing masks as appropriate; ensuring good ventilation; and regular hand-washing.”
