India on alert after China outbreak of respiratory infections – La Prensa Latina Media

New Delhi, Nov 24 (EFE).- The Indian government said on Friday that it was “closely monitoring” the outbreak of a respiratory disease and clusters of pneumonia in children in China, even as the risk of human-to-human spread remained “low.”

“India is prepared for any kind of public health exigency,” a health ministry statement said.

“(The) ministry is closely monitoring the reported outbreak of H9N2 cases and clusters of respiratory illness in children in northern China. There is low risk to India from both the avian influenza case reported from China as well as the clusters of respiratory illnesses,” the statement said.

The ministry noted that the overall risk assessment by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicated a low probability of human-to-human spread and a low case fatality rate among human cases of H9N2.

However, the government stressed “the need for strengthening surveillance among the human, animal husbandry, and wildlife sectors and improving coordination.”

Chinese health authorities recently reported an increase in the incidence of respiratory diseases in the north of the country, which they attribute to a combination of known pathogens, including influenza, SARS-CoV-2, respiratory syncytial virus, and mycoplasma pneumoniae, which can cause serious lung infections.

The UN health agency says it has sought detailed information from China in this regard and issued a series of preventive recommendations.

The Indian health ministry said it held a meeting to discuss the preparedness measures against human cases of avian influenza in the country against the backdrop of a human case of the virus

The ministry said the government has significantly strengthened health infrastructure, especially since the COVID pandemic, which, according to government sources, claimed more than half a million lives in India.

However, the UN health watchdog estimates the COVID-19 death toll to be as high as 4.7 million in India. EFE

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