WHO Requests Information From China About 'New Virus' in Circulation | 24 Nov 2023 | On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it has requested information from China regarding the increase in cases of respiratory diseases and clusters of pneumonia among children. [Reports emerged] that an unexplained pneumonia-like sickness is reportedly swiftly spreading through schools in China, leading to a surge of hospitalizations of children. According to the WHO, the authorities of China's National Health Commission reported an increase in the incidence of respiratory diseases in the country on November 13. On Tuesday, media outlets and the Emerging Diseases Monitoring Program of the International Society for Infectious Diseases "reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China."