Cases among children are particularly high in northern areas like Beijing and Liaoning province.
China's health ministry has called for an increase in the number of fever clinics in response to a surge in respiratory illnesses.
National Health Commission spokesperson Mi Feng attributed the surge in acute respiratory illnesses to the simultaneous circulation of several kinds of pathogens, most prominently influenza.
The health ministry has stated that the illnesses are caused by the flu and other known pathogens, not by a novel virus.
The World Health Organization (WHO) had previously requested more information from China, citing reports of clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children.
China's health ministry has called for an increase in the number of fever clinics in response to a surge in respiratory illnesses. This comes as the country experiences its first full winter since easing COVID-19 restrictions. The World Health Organization (WHO) had previously requested more information from China, citing reports of clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children.
National Health Commission spokesperson Mi Feng attributed the surge in acute respiratory illnesses to the simultaneous circulation of several kinds of pathogens, most prominently influenza. Cases among children are particularly high in northern areas like Beijing and Liaoning province. The State Council warned of a peak in influenza this winter and spring, and a continued high incidence of mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in some areas.
Chinese officials have maintained that the spike in patients has not overloaded the country's hospitals, according to the WHO. The health ministry has stated that the illnesses are caused by the flu and other known pathogens, not by a novel virus. This surge in respiratory illnesses has drawn the attention of the World Health Organization, which continues to monitor the situation closely.
National Health Commission spokesperson Mi Feng linked the surge in acute respiratory illnesses to the simultaneous circulation of several kinds of pathogens, most prominently influenza.
Cases among children are particularly high in northern areas like Beijing and Liaoning province.
The State Council warned of a peak in influenza this winter and spring, and a continued high incidence of mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in some areas.