In the core of China a medical drama is taking place, attracting even anxious parents and doctors’ attention. The latest news in recent days is that hospitals in cities all over the country, even Beijing – the nation’s busy capital – are experiencing an unprecedented spike in sick little ones in their ward and a weird epidemic of pneumonia. Such situation is similar to that which was rekindled in the beginning of the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 disease.
On late Tuesday, ProMed warned about the outbreak of “undiagnosed pneumonia” among kids. Lying at the heart of the medical mystery are Beijing and its nearest neighbor, Liaoning, which is nearly 500 miles away to the northeast. There is a surge in the number of cases in Liaoning hospitals, most of them involving young patients who present unusual symptoms. According to eye witness report it is surprising that these children present with elevated temperature and sometimes pulmonary nodules without classical cough.
“Mr. Wei from Beijing, one angry Chinese,” many are being hospitalized without any coughing symptom or fever; they just have high temperatures and some pulmonary nodules.”
The alert by ProMed underscores the importance of further data to clarify on what is causing this massive spread. The occurrence of multiple attacks among youngsters is a relatively unprecedented phenomenon. Thus, the investigation should determine when exactly the outbreak took place. However, the report does not refer any adult patient with respect to such a possible exposure occurring within a school environment.
It raises speculations that the current flare up of walking pneumonia aka Mycoplasma pneumoniae may probably be attributed to China’s first seasonal winter in the absence of rigorous Covid-19 lockdowns. Just like in other countries like the UK and US, weakening of population immunity following the removal of the pandemic restrictions prompted spikes in respiratory diseases with signs of resemblance to RSV and flu.
Walking pneumonia often occurs in young children manifested by pain in throat, feeling tired and having a cough which lasts up to several weeks or months. In extreme form, it may develop to pneumonia. There have been increased cases of infections in hospitals across China, and these often emerge as clusters at the schools and nursery. The upsurge represents the initial Mycoplasma pneumonia outbreak after relaxing COVID-19 restrictions in early 2023.
Zhou Huixia who is the head of children’s medical center at army hospital number seven said that she worries about this wave in November and will be strong. Compared to previous years it recorded a high level of both mixed infections and drug resistant. It was more pronounced with lobar Pneumonia cases which increased dramatically.
Experts warn that the latest increase in Mycoplasma pneumoniae shows evidence of antibiotic resistance particularly in China where this phenomenon is at its peak globally. A February 2022 investigation revealed that more than 80% of Mycoplasma pneumoniae identified in Chinese children admitted with bacteria were drug-resistant to macrolide which is a recommended class of drugs.
Society on Walking Pneumonia
Notwithstanding the stated challenges, in this regard Chinese experts have taken care and informed the general society saying that only a handful of kids has died as a result of “walking pneumonia.” A pediatrician, Dr. Hua Shaodong, stated from the Beijing Children’s Hospital that there have been steady numbers of patients making severe cases and not any related death since then. The average stay in the hospital for such children has ranged from seven to fourteen days.
The crisis is an unanticipated national health problem that raises concerns such as what will the effect be on children in the short term and long term including antibiotics resistance. The case underlies how one must be extremely cautious when easing restrictive measures that could give rise to reoccurrence of an epidemics disease, underscoring the need for health practitioners to remain alert at all times with a view to saving the public from illnesses.
