Mother shares son’s frightening symptoms as pneumonia pediatric cases rise in Ohio
IndependentNOV 2023
Europe: Increase in Child Pneumonia Cases Amid China Outbreak
Image copyright: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images Europe [via Getty Images]
The Spin
Narrative A
While the world responded to the COVID outbreak, the surveillance of many other respiratory illnesses already on the map — including influenza and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus — was neglected, allowing the conditions for these recent outbreaks. To combat the spread of these illnesses and to prevent them from becoming epidemic or pandemic, public health agencies worldwide must further integrate surveillance technologies or else risk being left dangerously unprepared, yet again.
Narrative B
While public health certainly learned a hard lesson during the pandemic, many nations have used those failures to advance their health-response capabilities. A joint effort between the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization developed and deployed a platform for countries to use in their transition from unsustainable mass testing practices to a multi-virus integrated surveillance approach. Through this effort, Europe is already more prepared for not only COVID but other life-threatening pathogens.