GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization says it has made an official request to China for information about a potentially worrying spike in respiratory illnesses and clusters of pneumonia in children. The U.N. health agency cited unspecified media reports and a global infectious disease monitoring service as reporting clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China. Political Cartoons View All 1265 ImagesWHO said media reports about a week later reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China. WHO said that northern China has reported a jump in influenza-like illnesses since mid-October compared to the previous three years. It is rare for the U.N. health agency to publicly ask for more detailed information from countries, as such requests are typically made internally.

---

Persons: David Heymann, ” Heymann, Francois Balloux, ” Balloux, China's, ___ Cheng, Wanqing Chen Organizations: GENEVA, World Health Organization, WHO, National Health Commission, London School of Hygiene, Tropical Medicine, University College London, Beijing Children’s Hospital, China National Radio, Health Commission, Xinhua News Agency Locations: China, Beijing, London