November 23, 2023: The World Health Organization (WHO) has sought more information from Beijing about an outbreak of pneumonia in northern China that appears to be mostly affecting children.

The WHO made "an official request for detailed information on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children," the United Nations health agency said in a statement on Wednesday.

There has been a rise in influenza-like illnesses in China compared with the same period in the previous three years when strict measures were in force as part of its zero-COVID strategy, which came to an end in December 2022.

The WHO noted that China's National Health Commission told a press conference earlier this month that there had been an increase in the incidence of respiratory diseases, attributing them to the lifting of COVID-19 measures and the spread not only of COVID-19 but pathogens such as influenza, mycoplasma pneumonia (a common bacterial infection which typically affects younger children), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).