Chinese hospitals overwhelmed by childhood respiratory illnesses

A surge in undiagnosed childhood pneumonia in cities including Beijing has overwhelmed hospitals across China. 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, it notified doctors and scientists about a mysterious virus later identified as Sars-Cov-2.

“Many, many people are hospitalized,” one newspaper reported. The patient does not cough and has no symptoms. They simply had a high body temperature (fever) and many developed lung nodules. “

ProMed said the situation “suggests a widespread outbreak of an undiagnosed respiratory illness.”

“It is unclear when this outbreak began, as it is unusual for so many children to be affected so quickly,” explained the report. It was also clarified that the report did not mention infections in adults, suggesting that it may be , it was stressed that there was a need for clearer information to determine the cause and scope of the situation.

ProMed also warned that the outbreak may be related 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 US have seen similar increases in illnesses such as RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and influenza after lifting pandemic restrictions, as years of circulatory suppression affected population immunity.

symptom Mycoplasma pneumoniaeIt mainly affects young children and includes sore throat, fatigue and a persistent cough that lasts for weeks or months. In severe cases, it can lead to pneumonia.

“This is the first wave of infections Mycoplasma pneumoniae The Children’s Medical Center of the Seventh Medical Center of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital said “the surge in infections has eased since most COVID-19 containment measures were lifted earlier this year”. It has been particularly intense since the National Day holiday in early October.

The rise in antibiotic resistance is also a concern because Mycoplasma pneumoniae Macrolides appear to be most frequently avoided and are the preferred class of drugs. A February 2022 study showed that more than 80% of cases Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Among hospitalized children in China, they have shown resistance to these drugs. However, it was clarified that while the number of serious cases is increasing, critical cases are few and no related deaths have been recorded so far. (Information from Infobae)