Doctor gives verdict on 'white lung syndrome' after 142 kids fall ill in county
Reports of a massive uptick in an intense 'flu' in China have been likened to a new respiratory illness ravaging the emergency rooms around the US.
Warren County, Ohio, has officially declared an outbreak after the cases were reported in recent months, a spike similar to that of the respiratory illness recently seen in China, with 142 kids ill with the disease which is being nicknamed 'white lung syndrome'.
Experts, however, have warned the public not to jump to conclusions about this turning into a widespread, untreatable pandemic like Covid-19 was in the beginning. One doctor took to Fox News to dispel the public's fears and explain what has been happening in these emergency rooms.
Dr Christina Johns told viewers: "What we know so far is that the World Health Organization (WHO) has asked China to share some data about an increase in respiratory illnesses, especially affecting children."
A new respiratory illness in China is affecting children more than adults, say scientists (AP)"What we know so far is that these are not novel, so not new, viruses. These are all things that we have seen before in seasons past," said the doctor. She continued explaining that most of the spikes were due to illnesses like RSV, influenza and Rhinovirus, all common conditions with plenty of treatment options.
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Other scientists and researchers said that while they're continuing to monitor any developing sicknesses in China, a spike in numbers doesn't necessarily mean that it will become a pandemic.
China has so far opened a number of smaller clinics to help deal with patients who don't have severe symptoms, sending only those who are gravely ill to the hospital to avoid overcrowding. According to the WHO, Chinese officials maintained that the spike in patients had not overloaded the country’s hospitals.
Fears of a new pandemic are on the rise after a spike in emergency room visits in China and the US (AFP via Getty Images)"Efforts should be made to increase the opening of relevant clinics and treatment areas, extend service hours and increase the supply of medicines,” said WHO ministry spokesman Mi Feng.
Earlier this month, Chinese authorities blamed the increase in respiratory diseases on lifting COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Other countries also saw a jump in respiratory diseases such as RSV when pandemic restrictions ended.
The WHO said Chinese health officials on Thursday provided the data it requested during a teleconference. Those showed an increase in hospital admissions of children due to diseases including bacterial infection, RSV, influenza and common cold viruses since October.
It is rare for the U.N. health agency to publicly ask for more detailed information from countries, as such requests are typically made internally. WHO said it requested further data from China via an international legal mechanism.
The WHO said that there was too little information to properly assess the risk of these reported cases of respiratory illness in children.
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