AKIPRESS.COM - Epidemic of "undiagnosed pneumonia" in children is registered in the north of China, the Telegraph  reports  with reference to ProMed (a publicly available surveillance system which monitors human and animal disease outbreaks worldwide). Chinese hospitals have been "overwhelmed with sick children" as an outbreak of pneumonia escalates in cities across the country, including Beijing, according to reports.

It was a ProMed alert in late December 2019 that brought a mystery virus later named Sars-Cov-2 to the attention of many doctors and scientists, including senior officials at the World Health Organization.

The latest post, based on a report from the Taiwanese outlet FTV News, said that hospitals in the capital Beijing and Liaoning – almost 500 miles northeast – were struggling amid an influx of children sick with pneumonia. 

"They don't cough and have no symptoms. They just have a high temperature (fever) and many develop pulmonary nodules," Mr Wei, a Beijing citizen, told FTV News. 

Another Beijing resident said that it is now forbidden to come to schools with signs of a cold.

WHO has  made  an official request to China for detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children.

Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission reported an increase in incidence of respiratory diseases in China at a press conference on November 13, the WHO noted. Chinese authorities attributed this increase to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and the circulation of influenza viruses.