China assured today that “there is no reason to worry” about the growing outbreak of respiratory infections that is plaguing the Asian country and which, according to Beijing, is due to “known pathogens.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said today in a press conference that the Chinese authorities “have maintained communication with the World Health Organization” about the situation in China.
“I can assure you that traveling and doing business in China is safe, and there is no reason to worry,” said the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, who on previous occasions had declined to refer to this issue and had referred it to the relevant health organizations.
The outbreak will reach its peak in “one or two weeks”
Last week, members of the Chinese Health Commission held a videoconference meeting with officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) in which the Chinese representatives presented data on surveillance and detection of the pathogenic agents that cause respiratory diseases. , as well as diagnosis and treatment protocols.
Chinese schoolchildren leaving a school in Beijing. EFE/EPA/Mark R. Cristino
The notification came after the WHO asked China for detailed information on the recent increase in cases of respiratory diseases and outbreaks of childhood pneumonia.
According to the Commission, the outbreak is due to “known pathogens” such as seasonal flu, as well as rhinovirus, mycoplasma pneumoniae, respiratory syncytial virus and adenovirus, and will reach its peak in one to two weeks, according to local experts.
The Chinese authorities already asked last week to strengthen primary care and coordination between hospitals to face the increase in cases of respiratory infections.
The agency issued these recommendations after Chinese health authorities reported an increase in the incidence of respiratory diseases in the country, something they attributed in part to the lifting of preventive measures against covid-19 at the beginning of this year. With EFE
