Wave of respiratory illness easing

Hospital visits by sick children trending down, officials say

The number of children with respiratory illness visiting hospital pediatric departments is trending downward in China, health officials said on Sunday, adding that a recent nationwide surge in respiratory disease cases had not disrupted normal healthcare services.

China has experienced a surge in respiratory disease this winter, driven by co-circulation of multiple pathogens. Young children have been hit hard, stretching the capacities of pediatric facilities in some regions.

Mi Feng, a spokesman for the National Health Commission, told a news conference that the number of visits to large hospitals by child patients with respiratory illness is gradually falling.