Respiratory diseases 'biggest pandemic risk'

Infectious respiratory diseases, including influenza and COVID-19, have the greatest potential to trigger the next pandemic and it is critical to maintain regular and comprehensive monitoring of pathogens in circulation to boost preparedness, public health experts said recently.

Shen Hongbing, director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said during a recent academic conference that respiratory infections can be caused by a large and diverse family of pathogens, and they can be transmitted quickly, lead to complicated clinical symptoms and inflict a heavy burden on society. Children, the elderly and people with underlying diseases are all high-risk groups.

"Infectious respiratory illnesses remain the most challenging disease that can lead to a pandemic," he was quoted as saying by Jiemian.com, an online news outlet. "Among them, influenza and the COVID-19 disease have caused pandemics before, but they still carry the risk of sparking another one and should be prioritized in pandemic preparedness."