China: Flu, pathogens behind illness spike

BEIJING: A surge in respiratory illnesses across China that has drawn the attention of the World Health Organization (WHO) is caused by the flu and other known pathogens and not by a novel virus, the East Asian country's Health Ministry said on Sunday.

Recent clusters of respiratory infections are caused by an overlap of common viruses such as the influenza virus, rhinoviruses, the respiratory syncytial virus or RSV, and the adenovirus, as well as bacteria such as mycoplasma pneumoniae, which is a common culprit for respiratory tract infections, a National Health Commission spokesman said.