Health authorities in China, Vietnam, and Thailand have moved to allay fears over a recent surge in respiratory illnesses and lung inflammation among children, attributing the increase to the resurgence of older pathogens that had been dormant during the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Minister of Public Health Dr Cholnan Srikaew, the current outbreak of respiratory diseases in China, particularly among children, is not a cause for concern. He explained that these illnesses were prevalent before the pandemic but subsided during the three-year COVID-19 crisis.
Dr Cholnan described the situation as seasonal but still ordered health officials to prepare preventative measures and closely monitor the situation, especially in areas popular with tourists.
Dr Yong Poovorawan, the head of the Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University, reassured the public that new or unfamiliar pathogens did not cause these respiratory illnesses. Instead, they could be traced back to the routine seasonal circulation of viruses.
Dr Yong observed that comparable respiratory ailments, including influenza, RSV, and rhinovirus parainfluenza, have also been rising among children in Thailand during this time. He anticipated these illnesses would progressively revert to the prevalence levels seen before the pandemic in the upcoming months. (NNT)
