A mysterious surge of child pneumonia cases has overwhelmed hospitals in China and sparked renewed fears of another pandemic. Cases now appear to be spreading throughout Europe, as well.
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While world health officials are monitoring the situation in China, cases continue to pop up and surge elsewhere around the world. Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands have all recently been hit with similar outbreaks, with Danish health officials already saying that it has reached “epidemic levels.”
In China, new videos and images are surfacing of workers in full hazmat suits spraying disinfectant throughout schools, streets, and in other public areas, bearing similarities to China’s COVID-19 response. Face masks and social distancing are also being recommended.
But it’s those same responses, together with lockdowns, which some experts blame for the new pneumonia cases in the first place.
Health officials in China and Europe say that a lack of exposure to respiratory illnesses during previous COVID-era lockdowns may have made children more vulnerable to threats like this.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says these pneumonia cases do not resemble any new pathogen, even as it continues to press China for more data and information.
Chinese officials attribute the cases to a post-lockdown rebound, and dismiss concerns of this being an entirely new virus. China imposed one of the longest and strictest lockdowns in the world during the COVID-19 pandemic, which the WHO says deprived Chinese children of the ability to develop natural antibodies against more common seasonal illnesses.
Tags: Children, China, COVID-19, Denmark, Europe, Health, Netherlands, People’s Republic of China, World Health Organization
AN UPDATE TO A STORY WE BROUGHT YOU TUESDAY.
AFTER CHILDHOOD PNEUMONIA CASES SPIKED IN CHINA WE ARE NOW ALSO SEEING SPIKES IN PARTS OF EUROPE.
THE MYSTERIOUS FLURRY OF PNEUMONIA CASES HAS OVERWHELMED HOSPITALS IN CHINA AND SPARKED NEW FEARS OF A FRESH PANDEMIC.
THE SITUATION IN CHINA IS BEING MONITORED BY WORLD HEALTH OFFICIALS, BUT NEW POP UP SURGES IN CASES ARE SPREADING.
DENMARK.
THE NETHERLANDS.
AND SWEDEN.
A WAVE OF “WALKING PNEUMONIA” SPREADING ACROSS CHINA – NOW EUROPE –
AND LARGELY IMPACTING CHILDREN.
DANISH HEALTH OFFICIALS – SAYING ITS REACHED “EPIDEMIC LEVELS” –
AS A RESISTANCE HAS BUILT IN PATIENTS TO THE ANTIBIOTICS USED TO TREAT THE INFECTIONS.
IN CHINA, IMAGES AND VIDEOS ARE SURFACING – REPORTED TO HAVE BEEN TAKEN RECENTLY – SHOWING WORKERS IN HAZMAT SPRAYING DISINFECTANT THROUGHOUT SCHOOLS, HALLWAYS, AND THE STREETS, AN EERIE RESEMBLANCE TO CHINA’S RESPONSE TO COVID.
FACE MASKS AND SOCIAL DISTANCING ARE ALSO BEING RECOMMENDED IN CHINA AS THEY FIGHT THE PNEUMONIA OUTBREAK.
BUT IT’S THOSE SAME TACTICS – ALONG WITH LOCKDOWNS – THAT’S BEING BLAMED FOR THE OUTBREAK TO BEGIN WITH.
HEALTH OFFICIALS IN CHINA AND EUROPE SAY CHILDREN LACKING EXPOSURE TO RESPIRATORY ILLNESSES DURING COVID LOCKDOWNS MAY HAVE CREATED THE HIGHER-THAN-USUAL HOSPITALIZATIONS.
THE WHO SAYS USUALLY CHILDREN CAN BUILD UP IMMUNITY, BUT BEHIND MASKS AND CLOSED DOORS, THERE WAS FAR LESS EXPOSURE.
THE GLOBAL HEALTH ORGANIZATION SAYS THE TYPES OF PNEUMONIA DIAGNOSED DO NOT RESEMBLE ANY SORT OF NEW PATHOGEN, BUT SAY THEY ARE INQUIRING FOR MORE INFORMATION FROM CHINESE HEALTH OFFICIALS IN A SEARCH FOR TRANSPARENCY – SOMETHING CHINA HAS BEEN CRITICIZED FOR OVER THE ORIGINS OF COVID-19.
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