
Patients line up for an emergency pre-check at the new pediatric building of Xinhua Hospital in Shanghai, China, on the night of Sept. 25, 2023. CFOTO/ file/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Patients suffering from respiratory infections, especially asthma attacks, have soared in at least six provinces and municipalities across mainland China, overwhelming hospital emergency rooms.
Chinese health authorities have attributed the wave of infections to “thunderstorm asthma.”