WHO asks China for information on rise in illnesses and pneumonia clusters

In a statement late on Wednesday, the WHO said it was unclear whether those were linked to a rise in respiratory infections reported by Chinese authorities

It is unusual for the WHO to make such an official request (AP)

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has made an official request to China for information about a potentially worrying spike in respiratory illnesses and clusters of pneumonia in children.

The UN health agency cited unspecified media reports and a global infectious disease monitoring service as reporting clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China.