China’s surge in respiratory illness prompts WHO to ask for details

Epidemiologists say wave in north, particularly among children, may be partly caused by ‘immunity debt’

The World Health Organization has asked China for details about a spike in respiratory illnesses that has been reported in northern parts of the country, particularly among children.

Epidemiologists have warned that as China heads into its first winter since the lifting of zero-Covid restrictions, natural levels of immunity to respiratory viruses may be lower than normal, leading to an increase in infections.