The health-care system is once again in the spotlight as a wave of pneumonia cases sweeps through China, hitting kids particularly hard. Local media report that some of the country’s top pediatric medical centers are overwhelmed with sick children, with parents complaining that they were forced to wait seven hours to see a doctor. The increase in sick kids has prompted the World Health Organization to ask for more details to allay concerns that a novel pathogen like COVID-19 is the source of the outbreaks.
On Wednesday, WHO requested more information from Chinese officials after media reports and a public disease surveillance website cited widespread clusters of undiagnosed respiratory illnesses in children. At a news conference on November 13, China’s National Health Commission said that hospitals in Beijing and other cities have been “overwhelmed” by patients presenting with pneumonia symptoms, including high fever. Some of these children also develop pulmonary nodules, or masses in the lungs that can be seen on X-ray.
A resurgence of pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses is typical for winter, but the timing and scale of this surge are striking. It’s the first winter in which China will experience a significant wave of infections since it instituted strict lockdowns to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and those who were shielded from exposure to respiratory viruses and bacteria will likely have less immunity to re-circulating strains.
Outside scientists are closely watching the situation but say it’s too early to know whether the current outbreak is a sign of a new threat. “If (the patients) look different than the pneumonia that doctors are used to seeing or spreading, we’ll start getting worried about a novel pathogen,” says a geneticist at University College London.
The patients likely suffer from mycoplasma pneumonia, a common bacterial infection that tends to cause fresh outbreaks every few years and typically affects younger children. The infection is usually mild and can be treated with antibiotics, but it can be dangerous in young children with developing immune systems or people with certain health conditions.
The emergence of this pneumonia cluster is a reminder that while the risks from mycoplasma pneumonia are generally low, anyone who gets sick with respiratory illness in any country should follow basic precautions, such as wearing masks, staying home when they’re ill, and washing their hands regularly. The World Health Organization hasn’t recommended any travel restrictions based on the current data on the outbreak in China.
