Pneumonia cases surge in children – El Financiero

China says an increase in mycoplasma pneumonia in children is showing signs of abating but warns that other respiratory illnesses could hit ordinary people hard during the continent’s first winter. COVID restrictions.

Beijing health authorities say influenza, adenovirus and respiratory syncytial virus have surpassed mycoplasma as the most common pathogens among patients at the city’s main pediatric medical center. Close to Tianjin and Shanghai financial centers According to local media reports, the mycoplasma positivity rate has also shown a downward trend in recent days.

But even as the risk of mycoplasma to children declines, China’s National Health Commission said late last week that the spread of several respiratory pathogens could converge into a major outbreak between now and next spring.

The incidence of pneumonia in children is rising steadily

An influx of people from kindergartens and primary schools this month prompted an investigation by the World Health Organization and Beijing. China says known bacteria caused outbreak Mainly Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a bacterial infection that usually causes mild colds in older children and adults but can cause more severe illness in younger children.

The surge is sending anxious parents to hospitals, putting pressure on major pediatric medical centers. Images of crowded hallways and children receiving intravenous fluids went viral on Chinese social media.

More people in Beijing and other cities wear masks on public transportationSome schools in Zhejiang and eastern Zhejiang province have suspended in-person teaching after several students contracted mycoplasma and other illnesses. Some parents have also called for schools to be temporarily closed to prevent the spread of the epidemic.

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existing bacteria

Outside China, these scenes remind some of On the first day of the COVID-19 outbreak, It emerged in the form of a mysterious pneumonia, sparking fears that another new pathogen could emerge on the continent.

Government and other health experts say the culprit may be existing bacteria.

“The fact that only children are affected suggests that it is likely an existing pathogen,” said Jin Dongyan, a professor of virology and cancer at the University of Hong Kong. “If this is a new pathogen, it should mainly affect adults. It seems adults are used to it.”

Mycoplasma, a common cause of pneumonia in children aged five and older, causes epidemics in China every two to four years. According to health data analytics company Airfinity, Beijing’s latest mycoplasma positivity rate (40%) is about 1.3 times higher than the 2019 peak.

Symptoms observed in Chinese children Airfinity said in a report that the symptoms were consistent with typical symptoms of mycoplasma infection, with a low incidence of severe illness, but it noted that a hospital in Sichuan province also reported atypical symptoms.

More pressing for China is the fact that local strains of mycoplasma are highly resistant to the antibiotics used to treat it. Data compiled by Airfinity shows the country has the highest rates of resistance in the world to a class of antibiotics called macrolides, such as the commonly used azithromycin.

Airfinity says this is a “major concern” because macrolides are currently the only recommended standard of care for children under eight years old with mycoplasma infection.

Bacterial infections also appear to be driving increases in cases in other countries. An analysis of case detection in 23 countries and regions around the world cited by Airfinity shows that Denmark, Sweden and Singapore From late 2022 to early 2023, much of the world is dealing with post-COVID-19 surges in influenza and RSV.

Taiwan has also warned that an outbreak could occur early next year due to its frequent interactions with mainland China.