Respiratory illness in China is decreasing

Pediatric department visits with respiratory illness in China are declining, and the recent surge in respiratory disease nationwide did not disrupt the country's normal healthcare services, a health official said on Sunday.

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

Mi Feng, spokesman of the National Health Commission, said during a news conference that the number of child patient visits with respiratory illness to large hospitals is gradually falling at present.

"The increase in visits to pediatric hospitals and pediatric departments at general hospitals has also slowed down," he said.

Mi said that the volume of overall hospital visits with respiratory illness is at a stable level nationwide, largely thanks to efforts made to channel mild patients to grassroots medical facilities.