I am hoping that the world will have a handle on the latest outbreak.

Merely pointing out that in addition to the one person you make such a fuss about, you have completely omitted OP.
So that’s at least two

RosiesMaw

^Reports of hundreds of children hospitalised in China from a serious type of pneumonia^

Are they not “humans” ?.

You are yet again pointing out the original post rather than the discussion. It would have been impossible to have the discussion without mentioning what the problem was. You can keep picking me up on everything I say but I won't be responding any more. I have said my piece and have no desire to join in with point scoring.

i didn't say they didn't deserve sympathy/empathy, I just said it wasn't relevant to this thread.

Reports of hundreds of children hospitalised in China from a serious type of pneumonia

Are they not “humans” ?.

Don't duck on my account, M0nica. If you don't think the plight of hundreds of children is worth a smidgeon of mentioned sympathy/empathy, then so be it. However, I feel differently and make no apology for it. As I said, it struck ME as odd that there was only one person on here that actually mentioned the "human" element.

Grantanow

Recent information suggests the outbreak is not a new virus.

This happened in New Zealand, as I mentioned above.
There was a thread about it, or it was mentioned on a thread, last year, I think.

Reports from China suggested it is a bacterial type of pneumonia, not viral, so can be treated with antibiotics.

I am going to say it and duck. What has the plight of the the individual children got to do with this thread?

They are in hospital and being treated, not lying in gutters without treatment. Any severe illness in any one is a matter of personal concern.

This thread is about discussing the dangers this new virus, if it is a new virus, and not a bad year for an already known virus, holds for the rest of the world and the investigation iinto it's cause.

As the OP does, this is quite reasonable considering the shambles the early months of COVID were.

Recent information suggests the outbreak is not a new virus.

Catching virus does give you a high degree of resistance to that virus but a virus can change quickly and if you are weakened by the first virus you are more likely to catch the second. Those that are vulnerable because of other conditions, should. Make sure they get vaccinated because that give a high degree of protection against a range of viruses.

Some of us had a pneumonia vaccination in recent years, it was age related possibly 65 but not sure, is this the same as the Chinese outbreak?.

Some reassuring news in todays DT

CHINA is to pour more resources into fever clinics across the country amid a surge in respiratory illnesses among children during the country’s first full winter since easing Covid lockdown.
The spike became a global issue last week when the World Health Organisation (WHO) asked China for more information, citing a report on clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children.
China and the WHO have faced questions about the transparency of reporting early in the Covid pandemic, which emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019. The WHO has said no new or unusual pathogens have been found in the recent illnesses.
Mi Feng, China’s national health commission spokesman, said yesterday that the surge in acute respiratory illnesses was linked to the simultaneous circulation of several kinds of pathogens, most prominently influenza.
“Efforts should be made to increase the relevant clinics and treatment areas, appropriately extend service hours and strengthen guarantees of drug supplies,” Mr Mi told a news conference. “It is necessary to do a good job in epidemic prevention and control in key crowded places such as schools, childcare institutions and nursing homes, and to reduce the flow of people and visits .”

Those poor children, what a terrifying problem
To extrapolate from this expression of the obvious that only one person shows empathy -or did you mean sympathy - is a bit of a leap.
It's hardly uncaring to discuss the issues behind the problem, China's response, the potential impact on the rest of the world, the ramifications of another possible epidemic, how we reacted in Covid etc etc in a discussion thread. But there's not a lot to discuss other than nodding in agreement at the statement you quoted. Doesn't mean only one person cares.

RosiesMaw

Just because sone people-and I do not necessarily mean on this thread alone- are not backward in coming forward, blowing their own trumpet and virtue signalling does not mean the quiet, thoughtful majority do not care, just because they don't make a song and dance about it.
Public "emoting" has become all too common it seems.

Well, that's where we differ because I don't see mentioning the plight of the children as publicly emoting when, as you say, the OP's message was a concern at the outset. Neither do I find referencing it virtue signalling. Obviously I wasn't expecting anyone to be beating their breasts, wailing or crying either!

OP's post starting the thread is a clear example of concern from the outset.

Just because sone people-and I do not necessarily mean on this thread alone- are not backward in coming forward, blowing their own trumpet and virtue signalling does not mean the quiet, thoughtful majority do not care, just because they don't make a song and dance about it.
Public "emoting" has become all too common it seems.

Apologies.

It has been happening for several months but little has been reported about it.

RosiesMaw

^I am so glad there is one person on here who is thinking of the poor children rather than arguing about immune systems, etc^

How ridiculous, unkind and unfair to suggest only one person is thinking about the children.

I commented because it was so noticeable that only one person had contributed in that fashion and even then it was totally ignored. There's quite a body of evidence here backing up my statement that arguing about things seemed to be in the forefront of the discussion rather than the children who were suffering! It was an observation of one person's empathy more than anything else but probably worded more strongly than I meant.

RosiesMaw

^I am so glad there is one person on here who is thinking of the poor children rather than arguing about immune systems, etc^

How ridiculous, unkind and unfair to suggest only one person is thinking about the children.

Yes, absolutely!
But not unexpected.

I am so glad there is one person on here who is thinking of the poor children rather than arguing about immune systems, etc

How ridiculous, unkind and unfair to suggest only one person is thinking about the children.

It has been announced in the last few days in the UK that there are now several rssv vaccines cleared for general use and they will be available for older, vulnerable and young children next winter.

VioletSky

Those poor children, what a terrifying problem

If it's similar to RSV, which one of my DC had, then there do seem to be outbreaks from time to time and it can be quite frightening.

If bacterial, as stated in reports from China, it is treatable with antibiotics.

China claims it is not a new disease but perhaps the symptoms are different to those of existing infections.

WHO is supposed to be updating us.

Good idea !

I agree GSM and Sago

VioletSky

Those poor children, what a terrifying problem

I am so glad there is one person on here who is thinking of the poor children rather than arguing about immune systems, etc.

I also feel sorry for the parents who must be so worried about their children especially after the Covid crisis. Let's hope this disappears as quickly as it appears to have come and that it doesn't reach epidemic proportions.

How often do you test?

M0nica

growstuff I have combed through evrything I have written on this thread and nowhere in them can I find anywhere where I have described masks as 'useless'

What I said was that 'caution must be exercised' over their effectivenees, which given how carelssly so many people wear masks seems to me to be a reasonable thing to say.

I apologise for misquoting you, MOnica. I looked back, too and realised what I'd done. I made an inference from what you said that might not have been justified.

However, I would still say that the fact that people misuse them is not sufficient reason to doubt their efficacy for the individual.

And I strongly believe that the public health messaging was very poor when masks were made mandatory.