NY POST
The World Health Organization is reportedly demanding answers from China about an outbreak of pneumonia among children in northern parts of the country — raising questions once again about how transparent Beijing is when it comes to sharing public health data.
The WHO issued the official information request — which is seeking “additional epidemiologic and clinical information, as well as laboratory results” — after reports surfaced Tuesday about undiagnosed clusters of pneumonia, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Although the request itself is fairly routine, the outlet said it’s “relatively rare” for the United Nations agency to do so publicly.
But the WHO’s apprehension likely stems from China’s poor record of data-sharing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Journal added.
“There’s no doubt that the WHO has been concerned with transparency and data communication,” one Beijing-based global health official told the newspaper.
“It also puts some pressure on the country that has been requested to cooperate…
