After a media report in a national daily claimed that AIIMS Delhi had detected seven bacterial cases linked to the recent surge in pneumonia cases in China, the Government of India called the news report ‘ill-informed and provided misleading information.’
‘It is clarified that these seven cases have no link whatsoever to the recent surge in respiratory infections in children reported from some parts of the world, including China. The seven cases have been detected as part of an ongoing study at AIIMS Delhi in the six months (April to September 2023) and are no cause for worry,’ said the ministry.
On November 13th, the surge in pneumonia cases was first reported by China’s National Health Commission in a press conference. This news led to tension across the globe, with the World Health Organization (WHO) closely monitoring the surge in respiratory infections among children in China.
Maria Van Kerkhove, acting director of the WHO’s Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention, explained that the surge is being attributed to antibiotic resistance to certain common infections such as influenza, mycoplasma pneumonia, adenovirus, and other seasonal pathogens.
Last week, Beijing experienced a spike of 30–40% compared to last year. However, in the city 150 km away from Beijing, named Tianjin, a children’s hospital is receiving around 30,000–40,000 children every day. As of now, Beijing and other northeastern regions such as Changchun are still experiencing cases in large numbers, although there are no official numbers yet, according to an expert.
