India Closely Monitoring Respiratory Illness Outbreak In China, Low Risk But Prepared For Any Kind Of Exigency: Health Ministry

Some media reports have indicated clustering of cases of respiratory illness in children in northern China for which the World Health Organization (WHO) has also issued a statement. However, there is a low risk to India from both the avian influenza case reported in China as well as the clusters of respiratory illness, the Indian Health Ministry said.

WHO noted that authorities at China's National Health Commission on November 13 reported an increase in respiratory diseases, which they said was due to the lifting of COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Other countries also saw a jump in respiratory diseases such as respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, when pandemic restrictions ended. The global health body has now publicly asked the country to furnish more information about the diseases. 

According to internal accounts in China, the outbreaks have swamped some hospitals in northern China, including in Beijing, with some seeing an average of 7,000 patients per day. Health authorities have asked the public to take children with less severe symptoms to clinics and other facilities.

In this backdrop, a meeting was held under the Directorate General of Health Services in India to discuss the preparedness measures against human cases of avian influenza in the country. "The overall risk assessment by the WHO indicates a low probability of human to human spread and low case fatality rate among human cases of H9N2 reported to the WHO so far. The need for strengthening surveillance among human, animal husbandry and wildlife sectors and improving coordination was recognised. India is prepared for any kind of public health exigency," the ministry said.