“Thousands were hospitalized”: a mysterious new virus is spreading in China – and the world is already panicking

Hospitals in Beijing and Liaoning Province, China, are having to deal with masses of children who have contracted a mysterious pneumonia in recent weeks. Symptoms include flu symptoms and high fever but no cough. Entire classes were closed in schools due to the infection of teachers and students, according to reports in the British “Daily Mail”.Experts from the field of medicine in the country estimate that this is an outbreak of viral pneumonia, possibly influenza or another virus, but there is the fear that this is a new virus that could spread as quickly as the corona virus. The hospitals in Beijing were filled with thousands of sick children who wait long hours for treatment, and in some schools classes were canceled due to a large number of sick students and teachers.

The local media reported that some parents suspect that the authorities are hiding the dimensions of the outbreak. According to them, the current situation seems to be similar to the outbreak of the corona virus at the end of 2019 – a phenomenon that China initially concealed. However, the epidemic may be related to a more common pneumonia such as a transient virus, due to relatively mild symptoms, according to the “Daily Mail”.

It was also noted in the British newspaper that the Chinese authorities have not yet provided clear information about the type of the disease, its scope and origin, and there is a need for transparency and laboratory tests to confirm the cause of the outbreak and make sure that it is a known disease and not a dangerous new virus. So far, very few children have died as a result of the disease, but there are fears of an increase in antibiotic resistance that could make treatment for the mysterious virus more difficult.

Many scientists called on China to adopt full transparency and share information with the world in order to avoid a cover-up like in 2019. They emphasized that every country is obliged to reliably report new disease outbreaks.