Experts in the US are worried that lung illnesses are getting out of hand in Chinese hospitals, where they are already rising quickly.
Unexpectedly more people are going to American hospitals to get sick. Emergency rooms are reportedly seeing a “flood” of patients, mostly in the south of the country. 10 US states, including Florida, Texas, and New Mexico, as well as New York City and Puerto Rico, have said that the number of cases of respiratory sickness is “high” or “very high.”
This could be the flu, COVID, RSV, or the usual cold. Most people have fevers, coughs, and sore throats. People over 65 are most likely to be hospitalized with flu and COVID, and children are most likely to be hospitalized with RSV.
10 US states where the most cases are happening:
• Alabama • Georgia • Florida • Texas • New Mexico • California • Colorado • State of Louisiana
But the World Health Organization (WHO) is now looking at China, where hospitals and emergency rooms are also very busy with sick people. Videos have been released that show a mysterious lung illness that seems to be mostly affecting children, even though Chinese health officials say the rise in illnesses is due to the flu and other known pathogens.
This past week, the WHO asked China for information about “an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children.” The WHO was told by Chinese health officials last Thursday that they have not yet found any “unusual or novel diseases.”
According to the WHO, scientists from outside of China have asked that close attention be paid to the issue. But the WHO is still not sure that the rise means the start of a new global disease spread.
However, this wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for the start of a new virus. When new flu strains or other viruses that can cause a pandemic come out, they are generally first seen as groups of sick people who haven’t been diagnosed. For example, Covid-19 was first described as a strange kind of asthma.
Since May, there have been a lot more kids in China who have been sick with mycoplasma pneumoniae, which is a type of bacteria that causes mild respiratory illnesses. It was reported by the WHO that more Chinese children are getting RSV viral, influenza, and COVID-19.
But in the end, there is neither strong evidence nor proof that the rise in cases in China or the US means anything like that. Most of the cases reported in the US are thought to be Covid-19 or the flu.
Good Morning America said it is normal for the number of cases to rise first in the south and then move north. Everyone over 6 months old can get a Covid and Flu vaccine, so make sure you stay up to date on your shots. People over 60, women who are pregnant, and kids younger than 8 can also get an RSV shot.
