Respiratory diseases in children spread rapidly and many hospitals in China are overwhelmed

multiple hospitals China They are at a loss Wave of undiagnosed childhood pneumonia in several cities, including Beijing, according to different reports. The ProMed Global Surveillance System issued a notification Tuesday night indicating an outbreak of the respiratory illness among minors. ProMed has proven the relevance of its alerts in the past: In December 2019, he informed doctors and scientists about a mysterious virus that was later identified as SARS-CoV-2.

According to Taiwan media data reports FTV News It reveals the plight of hospitals in Beijing and Liaoning (nearly 800 kilometers away from the northeast) as they face an increasing number of children with pneumonia being admitted. A Beijing citizen assured: “Many, many people are hospitalized.” FTV Newsnoted that the patients “did not cough nor had any symptoms. They only presented with a High temperature (fever) and many people develop lung nodules“.

ProMed stated in an editor’s note: “This report indicates a widespread outbreak of an undiagnosed respiratory illness… It’s unclear when this outbreak began, because it is unusual for so many children to be affected so quickly. ” He added that the report did not mention adultery, which suggested that schools may have been exposed to the situation. To this end, he said it was necessary to obtain more precise information to determine the cause and scope of the situation.

ProMed also warned that the outbreak Can be linked to Mycoplasma pneumoniaeAlso known as “atypical pneumonia” or “walking pneumonia,” the incidence of this type of pneumonia is rising after China experienced its first winter without strict COVID-19 restrictions.Countries such as the UK and the US have also experienced similar increases in disease, e.g. Vibration aging (respiratory syncytial virus) and influenza pandemic restrictions are lifted because Years of circulatory suppression affect people’s immunity.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae mainly affects young children, with symptoms including sore throat, fatigue and a persistent cough that lasts for weeks or months. In severe cases, it can lead to pneumonia. Reports from Chinese hospitals last month showed an increase in infections, with outbreaks occurring mainly in schools and daycare centers.

“This is the first wave of M. pneumoniae infections since most COVID-19 containment measures were lifted earlier this year,” Leave a comment to the newspaper china daily Zhou Huixia, director of the Children’s Medical Center of the Seventh Medical Center of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital, also said that the surge in infection cases has been particularly serious since the National Day holiday in early October.

increase antibiotic resistance It is also a concern because M. pneumoniae appears to more frequently evade macrolides, which are the drugs of choice. A February 2022 study showed that more than 80% of Mycoplasma pneumoniae cases among hospitalized children in China showed resistance to these drugs.However, Hua Shaodong, a pediatrician at Beijing Children’s Hospital, told this newspaper china daily While the number of serious cases is rising, critical cases are few and so far No related deaths were recorded.