No need to panic: Experts say surge in respiratory illness in China likely due to endemic viruses

Health experts say there is no need for South Africans to panic about the surge of respiratory illness affecting children in northern China, but they do agree that there is a need for an investigation as airborne viruses are easily transmitted.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been monitoring data from China, which has shown increased respiratory illness among children.

However, Chinese authorities have attributed this increase to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the arrival of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.