Concerns Raised , Over Increased Number of , Respiratory Illnesses in China.<br />'Newsweek' reports that a rising number of respiratory <br />infections in China has prompted global health authorities <br />to estimate the scale and severity of the health threat. .<br />On November 13, China's National Health Commission stressed the need for surveillance to monitor the situation.<br />Earlier this week, Chinese state media reported that <br />the cases mainly consisted of influenza, <br />mycoplasma pneumonia, rhinovirus and other illnesses. .<br />According to experts, stringent zero-COVID <br />measures, which were lifted less than a year ago, <br />rendered children's immune systems vulnerable. .<br />According to experts, stringent zero-COVID <br />measures, which were lifted less than a year ago, <br />rendered children's immune systems vulnerable. .<br />This is why, experts believe, that a <br />large number of the cases reported <br />in China have been among children. .<br />Whilst we can't make a definitive <br />diagnosis at this stage the presence <br />of pulmonary nodules tend to suggest <br />a bacterial rather than a viral cause, Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the U.K.'s <br />University of East Anglia, via the Science Media Centre.<br />Pulmonary nodules in children are <br />seen in pneumococcal pneumonia <br />and cough may be absent. Influenza <br />can catch patchy changes on chest X-ray, <br />often due to secondary bacterial infections <br />so [that] could also be in the frame, Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the U.K.'s <br />University of East Anglia, via the Science Media Centre.<br />Chinese health experts told various state media outlets that <br />cases are expected to peak in the next two to three weeks, <br />while lingering infections could last into next spring.<br />According to Dr. Leana Wen, professor of health <br />policy and management at the Milken Institute <br />School of Public Health, .<br />the spikes are "not unexpected given the lifting <br />of COVID-19 restrictions, as similarly <br />experienced in other countries.".<br />Importantly, no new pathogen has <br />been detected. There has also been <br />no unusual clinical presentation with <br />children appearing much sicker than normal, Dr. Leana Wen, professor of health policy and <br />management at the George Washington University <br />Milken Institute School of Public Health, via CNN
