A mysterious infection is spreading in China. Children in some other countries have started falling sick, and India has been put on alert. People are being told to mask up. Several states have asked hospitals and healthcare staff to prepare for the worst. Rajasthan is on alert, so is Karnataka, Gujarat, Haryana, Tamal Nadu, Uttar Khand. This is Uttar Khand. There are three districts that share borders with China. Chamali, Uttarkashi, and Pithorgar. Medical teams have been set up in this state to monitor symptoms of pneumonia and influenza in children. And in Rajasthan, rapid response teams are being formed. The state’s health department has also been asked to draw up an action plan on how it plans to prevent the spread of infection and treat those who fall sick. Tamil Nadu’s health department is on alert. It has been asked to step up surveillance of respiratory illnesses. In Pudhachary, people have been told to go back to wearing face masks in public places. So what really is happening in China? Children are falling sick. In some cases, classes have been called off. Hospitals are overwhelmed. Some of them, in fact, have set up so-called homework zones. Desks and chairs have been brought in so that students can study while recovering in the hospital.
It’s a crisis situation or Deja-Wu, if you may. Xi Jinping’s China is not saying much, but parents in China are extremely worried.
My child’s test results show positive in both mycoplasma, pneumonia, and influenza-A. I think her condition is quite complicated. Her dad has been lining up in the hospital for test results. After getting test results, he told me there are still 200 more patients before us.
The infection has spread to several northern cities, including Beijing. And we have visuals from one of Beijing’s children’s hospitals. The traffic is busier than usual. You can see parents rushing in their children. The hallways are packed. China is trying to normalize all of this. It is pointing at a seasonal surge of pneumonia. There is no significant difference between this disease and the mycoplasma pneumonia we have seen before. The severity of the illness also shows no particular changes compared to the past. Treatment follows conventional methods, and vast majority are effective.
China’s response to the WHO inquiry has been on similar lines. Beijing wants you to believe that the surge in cases is because of simultaneous circulation of pathogens, including influenza. In other words, there is no new virus, there is no new outbreak. There is nothing abnormal about children falling sick in large numbers. Let’s hope that’s the case. But let’s also not forget that the Wuhan virus also began as a mysterious pneumonia, an outbreak that China tried its level best to cover up.
Whatever this new infection is, what are the chances that it can spread to other countries?
If I could answer this question with a number, I would say a hundred %. There is no reason to believe that the infection will not jump borders. Every minute there are flights going in and coming out of China, also it is holiday season. You have tourists from China traveling around the world, also tourists flocking to China, and Beijing, in fact, is incentivizing travel. It is allowing citizens of France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands to travel to China visa-free. Just tell me one thing, is it merely a coincidence that in the Netherlands cases of childhood pneumonia are surging as well.
Unlike China, the Netherlands believes in some transparency, so we have numbers to show you. Between November 13 and 19, there were 103 pneumonia cases for every 100,000 children aged at five and 14 in the Netherlands. And the week before the number was 83. The graph is moving upwards and it’s a case of concern. It’s a cause of concern. Also, the numbers are nothing like what the Netherlands is used to seeing during a regular flu season. Just consider this, last year during the peak of the flu season, the Netherlands had 58 cases of pneumonia for every 100,000 children. It’s almost double already. Again, something is not normal. India has its guards on. Individually also, you must keep your guard on. Who are at risk? In China, and now also in the Netherlands, it is the children who are mostly battling this pneumonia. Remember, most of the young children are also not vaccinated against the Wuhan virus. So if you are a parent to a toddler, if your children are young, here are some of the symptoms you should be looking out for: fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, sneezing, dry cough. Follow the guidelines of your doctor and stay safe.
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I am Atul Sharma, As a full-time blogger, my focus is on delivering news articles on this platform. Your visit to my blog is highly appreciated. Thank you!