Four years after the world first received news about the novel coronavirus spreading in Wuhan, China, the World Health Organization is again Demand transparency Report to the Asian giant’s health authorities. Beijing is trying to improve communications in the face of the health crisis after the COVID-19 pandemic took a blow to its image.Therefore, heOn November 13, China’s National Health Commission publicly announced that the country was on alert. Respiratory Diseases.
Authorities said the reason for the increase in hospital admissions was related to the situation in all countries, including Spain, after the relaxation of coronavirus protection measures.Bacterial infections such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and mycoplasma are spreading again among children with weakened immune systems Never faced these pathogens over the past three winters.
This will be a “seasonal increaseThe concept of “passing”immune debt“, as it explains Reuters quoted Ben Cowling, an epidemiologist at the University of Hong Kong, as saying. However, there is one specific aspect that has caught the attention of the World Health Organization: reports by organizations such as the International Monitoring System ProMED “unknown pneumonia“Among Chinese children in the northern provinces, especially in the two cities of Beijing and Liaoning.
(Spain has not yet started adult pneumococcal vaccination: “We are still far from 90%”)
What is the situation in Chinese hospitals?
Since mid-October, the problem in Chinese hospitals has become a reality. In an effort to dispel doubts after early management of Covid-19, China’s National Health Commission warned through official channels that the incidence of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus would rise. Influenza strains – including influenza A, RSV and mycoplasma this winter. Therefore, they urge families to observe hygiene and ventilation measures, use masks and isolate sick children.
However, a ProMED China correspondent Dan Silver said in a statement: “The hospital is crowded with children”, families queuing for “two hours” waiting for treatment, schools being closed due to a teacher’s infection, and images of children on IVs doing homework in waiting rooms circulating online. What is atypical about many of these cases is that they will ask Pneumonia with high fever but no coughinconsistent with the symptoms of the three diseases described.
Why does the World Health Organization ask for information?
Based on these reports, the organization has launched International health regulatory mechanisms.this means need Epidemiological and clinical informationalso laboratory samples Information obtained from patients allows us to discern whether this SARS episode is part of an increase in respiratory illness or a “different event.”
“The available information is insufficient to assess the global risk, if any, of the current pneumonia epidemic in China, and the WHO’s actions – requesting information and recommending general measures to control respiratory infections – appear appropriate in this caseFISABIO Epidemiologist and researcher in the field of health services and pharmacoepidemiological research Salvador Peiró Science Media Center.
Children with respiratory illnesses line up in the pediatric emergency room of a hospital in Shanghai. CFOTO/Sipa USA (Reuters)
Are the explanations given by the Chinese health authorities consistent?
As Cristina Calvo Rey, president of the Spanish Society of Pediatric Infection (SEIP), explained to La Stampa, “What happened to us after the lockdown seems to have happened to them.” In In Spain and other parts of Europe, “respiratory infections (RSV and influenza) are again very serious”.this Bacterial respiratory infections, such as pneumococcus They also reproduce prolifically in the winter when their masks are removed.
“have A bagful of susceptible childrenCalvo Rey explained: “I had not been infected before, and many cases appeared after being discharged.” The situation in China can be explained. “One year behind” relative to the West Among them, distance measures remain in effect.The expert urges “to look forward to confirmation in the coming weeks and months”
What is the main suspect, Mycoplasma?
“Mycoplasma infection is a respiratory disease caused by bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniaeIgnacio López-Goñi, professor of microbiology at the University of Navarra, explained to this newspaper. It most commonly affects children and adolescents, with a stronger seasonality in late summer and fall. It thrives in “crowded environments.”For example “school”, university dormitory, hospital… and among relatives of patients“.
In China and other Asian countries, the disease is endemic, recurring every three to seven years. “Typical symptoms are fever, cough, bronchitis, sore throat, headache and fatigue,” Lopez-Goni continued. “The infection usually begins with Pneumonia, usually mild Hospitalization is rarely required. ” The main route of infection is through particles expelled when coughing, but here’s the rub: Apparently, Children infected with new pneumonia do not cough.
Will mycoplasma become more dangerous?
There is currently no vaccine against mycoplasma, and people who have been previously infected develop immunity, which wears off over time. “Bacteria lack a cell wall, so Serious circumstances “Use antibiotics other than penicillins, cephalosporins, and fosfomycin, which inhibit bacterial cell wall synthesis,” explains López-Goñi. If necessary, “macrolides, tetracyclines, and fluoroquinolones are also used “.
Is this new type of pneumonia caused by a strain of mycoplasma that is resistant to treatment? Microbiologists think this is unlikely. “While some cases of antibiotic resistance have been described, they are exceptional cases, Mycoplasma pneumoniae It is not currently on the list of dangerous bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.
Is there a risk of a new pandemic?
The possibility that unknown pneumonia is caused by new variants of Covid-19 cannot be ruled out.but This is the most unlikely hypothesisGiven that China has been equipped with strong testing capabilities during the pandemic. on the other hand, Mycoplasma is harder to detectBecause antibiotics can destroy samples, explains Adrian Hugo Aginagalde, Coordinator of the Public Health Section at the Academy of Medical Sciences in Bilbao and Head of Epidemiological Surveillance and Health Information for the Province of Gipuzcoa of antibiotics.
“On the positive side, the scientific community is conducting more detailed monitoring due to the experience gained during the pandemic. The WHO statement is relevant and accurate“Sonia Zúñiga, virologist and consultant at the National Center for Biotechnology (CNB-CSIC) concludes Science Media Center.