Chinese, WHO officials hold teleconference on respiratory diseases

ANKARA

World Health Organization (WHO) and Chinese health officials held another teleconference over respiratory diseases, state-run media said on Saturday.

During the meeting, Chinese experts provided updates on national monitoring and clinical diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases since a technical exchange meeting held on Nov. 23, Global Times reported.

The National Health Commission said that all acute respiratory diseases currently prevalent in China are caused by known pathogens and no infectious diseases caused by a new virus or bacteria have been detected.


According to the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 72,475 cases of 16 notifiable infectious diseases were reported in Beijing between Nov. 20 and 26.

On Wednesday, health authorities urged citizens to take precautions following several regions, including northern Tianjin, eastern Zhejiang, and southern Guangdong, reported a surge in influenza cases.

Last week, the International Society for Infectious Diseases said that respiratory diseases and undiagnosed pneumonia are on the rise in China. Children’s hospitals in Beijing and northern Liaoning are overloaded with “undetermined” pneumonia-like cases believed to have originated from bacterial infections.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid