China is reportedly experiencing an outbreak of respiratory disease. The rest of the world should be concerned because both China and the World Health Organization (WHO) have credibility issues based on their poor handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the current outbreak in China seems to hit children the hardest.
China has a history of covering up and delaying the sharing of crucial information about disease outbreaks. The two most recent examples were the Chinese government’s covering up of the 2003 SARS outbreak and the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic between late 2019 and early 2020. Yet the WHO is known to kowtow to the Chinese authorities and let Beijing dictate global health care messaging and critical decisions. For example, the WHO waited until Jan. 30, 2020, to declare the coronavirus outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. That declaration came after more than 200 deaths and close to 10,000 infections in China.
The Chinese government’s coverup and the WHO’s deference to China delayed other nations from taking adequate precautions. They thus missed the “golden period” of containing the spread of the coronavirus. Neither China nor the WHO have much credibility left after the Covid-19 pandemic.
China Fails to Warn the World Again
Unfortunately, neither China nor the WHO have learned their lessons. China has seen an increase in the hospitalization of children since May. Still, the Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission waited until Nov. 13 to announce an increase in the incidence of respiratory diseases. They downplayed the severity of it
