A surge in acute respiratory illnesses among children in China was caused by the influenza virus, rhinoviruses, mycoplasma pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and adenovirus, as pediatric departments throughout the country struggled with the caseload, reported the Chinese Health Commission spokesman, Mi Feng.
Multi-Stakeholder Approach to Curb Acute Respiratory Infections Among Children in China
He urged medical facilities to provide timely and up-to-date information about the demand for pediatric and fever outpatient services, and for schools to take adequate preventive measures.
“Efforts should be made to implement effective epidemic prevention and control measures in key locations with dense populations, such as schools, childcare institutions, and nursing homes,” Mi said, SCMP reported.
Hospitals have also been told to improve their ability to grade patients according to the severity of infection, for better identification of the seriously ill. Different age groups were being affected by different pathogens, but influenza was a major culprit across the board, an official from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Wang Huaqing, the CDC’s chief immunization planning expert, said mycoplasma pneumonia infections were mostly seen among the 5 to 14 age group, whereas the rest were mostly sickened by the different types and combinations of viruses, SCMP reported.
Source: IANS
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