China finds 'no unusual pathogens' amid respiratory illness spike

China said no ‘unusual or novel pathogens’ are behind a spike in respiratory illnesses among children in the north of the country.

It comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) had asked Beijing for more information on the infections after groups including the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (ProMED) reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in the country.

The UN agency had sought epidemiologic and clinical information as well as laboratory results through the…