SHANGHAI, Nov 27 (Reuters) - The spike in respiratory illnesses that China is currently going through is not as high as before the COVID-19 pandemic, a World Health Organisation official said, reiterating that no new or unusual pathogens had been found in the recent cases.
And the waves that they’re seeing now, the peak is not as high as what they saw in 2018-2019," Van Kerkhove told health news outlet STAT in an interview on Friday.
China's National Health Commission spokesperson Mi Feng said on Sunday the surge in acute respiratory illnesses was linked to the simultaneous circulation of several kinds of pathogens, most prominently influenza.
The WHO said on Friday no new or unusual pathogens had been found in the recent illnesses.
Reporting by Andrew Silver; Editing by Miyoung Kim and Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Maria Van Kerkhove, Van Kerkhove, Mi Feng, Andrew Silver, Miyoung Kim
Organizations:
Health, World Health Organization, China, Program, WHO, Thomson
Locations:
SHANGHAI, China, Wuhan