The General Department of Preventive Medicine, under the Vietnamese Ministry of Health, on Thursday emailed the WHO Representative and the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Vietnam for detailed information about an upsurge in respiratory illnesses in China.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced late Wednesday it had made an official request to China for detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children in the country.

Given a surge in respiratory illnesses in China, the General Department of Preventive Medicine, a National International Health Regulations (IHR) Focal Point of Vietnam, reached its Chinese counterpart and the WHO Representative in Vietnam to request further information on the issue.

According to the WHO, the IHR provide an overarching legal framework that defines countries’ rights and obligations in handling public health events and emergencies that have the potential to cross borders. The IHR are an instrument of international law that is legally-binding on 196 countries, including the 194 WHO Member States. Vietnam has been an WHO member state since May 1950.

The General Department of Preventive Medicine said it will continue closely working with the WHO, the U.S. CDC and international organizations to update information regarding the respiratory disease developments in China, as well as will propose appropriate epidemic preventive measures.

Local people should take precautionary measures against diseases and follow the national healthcare watchdog’s advice to prevent the risk of respiratory illnesses, the department added.

Earlier, Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission held a press briefing on November 13 to report an increase in incidence of respiratory disease, according to Reuters.

The WHO said that Chinese authorities attributed this increase to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and the circulation of known pathogens such as influenza, mycoplasma pneumoniae (a common bacterial infection which typically affects younger children), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).

Chinese authorities stressed the need for enhanced disease surveillance in healthcare facilities and community settings, as well as strengthening the capacity of the health system to manage patients.

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