I've been reading about some sort of infection in China for the past week or so. It was hard to gauge what was really going on (e.g. some sensational headlines) but below Politico does a good job.
Chinese hospitals are full of sick children, but don't worry - POLITICO
The problem:
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... last week’s demand by the World Health Organization for information from China on “reported clusters of pneumonia in children in Northern China” reminded the world of the start of the pandemic nearly four years ago, and triggered anxiety that a new pathogen may again cause a global outbreak.
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The rationale:
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China’s getting hit now, as virus season arrives, because it maintained Covid lockdowns far longer than most other countries, ending them only after a public revolt in January. Lockdowns and other pandemic precautions protected people not only from Covid, but also from other highly infectious respiratory diseases that are more dangerous to kids, such as flu and RSV.
Many children have never previously encountered the viruses or bacteria that can cause illness, and are particularly susceptible.
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The CDC has endorsed the view that avoiding infectious diseases for a prolonged period makes a population more susceptible when lockdowns, masking, social distancing and other precautions cease.
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Bottom-line. Nothing to worry about (or at least, not yet):
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Because testing so far isn’t showing a novel virus at play, the outbreak in China shouldn’t pose concern to health officials in the U.S., experts said.
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