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The World Health Organization (WHO) is requesting more data from China amid an outbreak of pneumonia in children.
Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, a WHO
epidemiologist, said the agency was 'following up with China' as hospitals
across the country continue to be overwhelmed
Face masks and social
distancing are again being recommended in the country.
The country is said to be grappling
with a spike in pneumonia, dubbed 'white lung syndrome' because of the way lung
damage shows up on scans, among children that has been attributed to a rebound
in respiratory illnesses rather than an entirely new virus.
China had one of the most brutal
and longest lockdowns of any country in the world which the WHO says robbed
children of vital immunity against seasonal illnesses.
Dr Van Kerkhove told the
conference today: 'Yes, we are seeing an increase in respiratory infections
around the world.
'We’re in autumn and entering
winter months, so we are expecting to see rises in respiratory infections
regardless.
'We are following up with
China. They are seeing an increase due a number of different infections.
'We are following up with our
clinical network and following up with clinicians in China.
'In terms of acute respiratory
infections, we are looking at the burden on healthcare systems and looking at
the healthcare capacities of systems.'
It comes after Chinese Health
Ministry spokesman Mi Feng urged people in the country to again consider wearing
face masks and distancing.
Speaking at a press conference
on Sunday, he said: 'Efforts should be made to increase the opening of relevant
clinics and treatment areas, extend service hours and increase the supply of
medicines,
'It is necessary to do a good
job in epidemic prevention and control in key crowded places.
'[This includes] in schools,
childcare institutions and nursing homes, and to reduce the flow of people and
visits.'
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