China steps up monitoring of Pneumonia, respiratory diseases

BEIJING: China’s diseases control authority said on Friday that it was piloting a monitoring system for pneumonia of unknown origin, with cases of some respiratory diseases expected to rise through the winter.

The move to establish a dedicated system is aimed at helping authorities set up protocols to handle unknown pathogens, in contrast to the lower level of preparedness five years ago when the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 first emerged.

The National Disease Control and Prevention Administration will establish a procedure for laboratories to report and for disease control and prevention agencies to verify and handle cases, state broadcaster CCTV reported, quoting an administration official at a news conference.

Data for acute respiratory diseases showed an upward trend in overall infections in the week of Dec 16 to 22, according to an official statement released on Thursday.

China is likely to be affected by various respiratory infectious diseases in winter and spring, Kan Biao, another official, said at the news conference. He said without elaborating that the overall number of cases this year would be smaller than last year.

Recent cases detected include pathogens such as the rhinovirus and human metapneumovirus, with cases of the human metapneumovirus among people under the age of 14 showing an upward trend, especially in northern provinces.

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In a recent interview with the state-backed National Business Daily, a respiratory expert at a Shanghai hospital warned the public against blindly using antiviral drugs to fight human metapneumovirus, for which there is no vaccine but whose symptoms resemble those of a cold.

It may be remembered that during the last winter, a deadly pneumonia pandemic broke out across Punjab, resulting into deaths of more than 500 children in four months.

The reporting ratio of pneumonia cases was so high that hospitals in the province received about 600 patients daily. Similarly, death rate was also terrifying with more than 10 children succumbing to pneumonia in 24 hours time.

Immunization remains one of the most effective preventive measures against pneumonia and other infectious diseases, offering vital protection to vulnerable children.