American health authorities have reported an outbreak of atypical childhood pneumonia caused by the bacteria ‘Mycoplasma pneumoniae’ in the state of Ohio, a situation that is being repeated in other countries such as China, Germany and Denmark, but which so far lacks any connection. .
The Warren County Health District, in the Cincinnati area, revealed this Thursday that 145 cases of pediatric pneumonia have been reported in patients ages 3 to 14. Although the number is higher than normal, “the severity is similar to that of previous years” and it is not suspected that it is a new respiratory virus.
On the other hand, there is no evidence that the outbreak is related to others “at the state, national or international level,” the office said, adding that the majority of patients recover at home and are treated with antibiotics. In this regard, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attributes the phenomenon to “several viral or bacterial causes” expected for the respiratory disease season, which usually runs in the country between fall and winter. “It does not appear to be due to a new virus or other pathogen,” they stressed. Illustrative image
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The incidence of ‘Mycoplasma pneumoniae’ had decreased during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report published at the end of November in the medical journal The Lancet. However, surveillance data from 45 sites in 24 countries, between April and September 2023, revealed that with the lifting of health restrictions there was a “delayed reappearance” of the bacteria in different parts of Europe and Asia, mainly in Denmark, Singapore, Sweden and Switzerland.
The Statens Serum Institute (SSI), the body that monitors infectious diseases in Denmark, declared this Wednesday that the country is going through an “epidemic of mycoplasma infections.” “We are seeing many more cases than usual,” said its lead researcher, Hanne-Dorthe Emborg. Normally, this phenomenon occurs in Danish territory approximately every four years. In addition, a spike in cases was expected driven by children who did not develop immunity due to confinement during the Covid-19 pandemic, the SSI explained.
Likewise, the German magazine Focus reported this Friday on the spread of the disease in various parts of Germany among children between 5 and 16 years of age. At the same time, China has been dealing for days with a surge in acute respiratory infections after several cold waves in different regions. The National Health Commission of the Asian country recently assured that it will use the full potential of pediatric diagnosis and treatment services to combat outbreaks. «We are observing, in general, an increase in respiratory infections around the world, said Maria Van Kerkhove, technical lead for covid-19 at the World Health Organization. With RT
