New Delhi
The Union Health Ministry is keeping a careful eye on the pediatric respiratory illness clusters and H9N2 case outbreak that have been reported in northern China.
Both the respiratory illness clusters and the avian influenza cases reported from China pose little threat to India. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare released a press release stating that there has been a press release indicating a clustering of respiratory illness cases in children in northern China.
According to the information that is currently available, reports over the past few weeks have indicated an increase in the incidence of respiratory diseases in China. Children’s respiratory illnesses are typically caused by other factors, and no novel pathogen or unexpected clinical manifestations have been found.
In light of a human case of H9N2 (avian influenza virus) in October 2023 in China that was reported to WHO, a meeting was recently held under the chairmanship of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to discuss the preparedness measures against human cases of avian influenza in the nation, according to the release.
According to WHO’s overall risk assessment, there is little chance of H9N2 spreading from person to person and a low case fatality rate among H9N2 cases that have been reported to WHO thus far. It was acknowledged that better coordination and increased surveillance were required among the sectors dealing with people, animals, and wildlife.
