India is 'closely monitoring' China's influenza outbreak amid mild Covid scare
File photo of a child at Beijing Capital International Airport
A day after a pneumonia 'epidemic' in China alarmed World Heath Organization nearly four years since Covid was first detected, India's union health ministry said that it is closely monitoring the cases and clusters of respiratory illness there.
China has since specified the outbreak as that of Influenza A virus subtype H9N2. It was first reported in 1988 and a total of 86 cases of human infection with H9N2 viruses were reported until recent outbreak in China.
"There is low risk to India from both the avian influenza case reported from China as well as the clusters of respiratory illness," the health ministry said.
No unusual pathogen identified so far in China's pneumonia outbreak
The union health ministry said that "there has been no identification of an unusual pathogen or any unexpected clinical manifestations" in the pneumonia outbreak reported from China.
What is India doing to prepare for any possibleoutbreak?
According to an official readout, a meeting was recently held under the chairmanship of Director General of Health Services to discuss the preparedness measures against human cases of Avian Influenza in the country against the backdrop of a human case of H9N2 (Avian influenza virus) in October 2023 in China that was reported to WHO.
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"The overall risk assessment by WHO indicates a low probability of human to human spread and low case fatality rate among human cases of H9N2 reported to WHO so far. The need for strengthening surveillance among human, animal husbandry and wild life sectors and improving coordination was recognised," it was found.
WION reached out to World Health Organization to comment on the purported pneumonia outbreak in China. They referred us to their official statement over 'upsurge of respiratory illnesses among children in North-China reported here.
The health ministry said that India is prepared for any kind of public health exigency.
"India is embarking on a One Health approach to adopt a holistic and integrated roadmap towards addressing such public health issues. There has also been a significant strengthening of health infrastructure especially since the COVID pandemic," the readout added.