Pandemic-related immunity gap in kids explains surge of respiratory infections in children in China, says WHO
In a Q&A, the acting director of the WHO’s department of epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention explains why worries about respiratory infections in China are overblown.
Reports this week that China is experiencing a surge in respiratory infections in young children triggered flashbacks of the start of the Covid-19 pandemic among infectious disease watchers. But a rapidly organized meeting Thursday between the World Health Organization and health officials in China assuaged much of that concern.
The evidence presented to the WHO team pointed to what’s sometimes called an immunity gap that was created by the pandemic. A dramatic reduction in circulation of other viruses and bacteria created a cohort of kids with few immunological defenses against bugs like influenza, RSV, and other cold-causing viruses, setting the stage for large outbreaks when those pathogens returned.
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