'India will have to take precautions if...': Expert on H9N2 outbreak in China

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closely monitoring the recent outbreak of H9N2 cases and clusters of respiratory illness among children in northern China. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a press release addressing concerns raised by some media reports about the clustering of respiratory illness cases in the region. Also Read | Mysterious pneumonia outbreak in China: Hospitals overwhelmed as cases surge, WHO issues advisory – All you need to know The press release reassured that there's a low risk to India from both the avian influenza cases and the clusters of respiratory illness reported from China.

The information currently available suggests an increase in respiratory diseases in China over the last few weeks. However, the causes remain typical, with no identification of unusual pathogens or unexpected clinical manifestations. Speaking to ANI, Dr.

Ajay Shukla from RML Hospital said the World Health Organisation (WHO) is concerned about the surge in respiratory illness among children in China and is trying to seek details from the Chinese government. He added specifics about the disease cannot be discussed till details are received and the surge could be due to decreased immunity among children due to the prolonged COVID-19 lockdowns. He also added that India is on wait-and-watch as there has been no impact here yet.

Also Read: WHO presses China for data on wave of undiagnosed pneumonia cases "Some experts are saying that this might be the case of a bacterial infection named Mycoplasma pneumonia. We cannot say much unless details are received. This might be a repercussion due to a weakness in immunity because of the lockdown.