An increase in global respiratory disease cases since late summer has experts questioning: Is this a novel disease or something else?
Reports of a mysterious respiratory illness in China are sparking fears of a potential new pandemic. Cases of what some are dubbing “white lung syndrome” have already been reported in several U.S. states, evoking chilling memories of the early days of COVID-19.
Health officials are racing to determine if this is simply the expected winter uptick of seasonal illnesses or if it could be a dangerous new pathogen. If the latter, the implications could be profound. Is history repeating itself? How quickly could this spread? How can you protect yourself?
Spike in Pediatric Pneumonia in China Hints at Possible New Contagion
Chinese media described overwhelmed children’s hospitals in Beijing and Liaoning Province (Northern China) in late November, according to a recent post on the International Society for Infectious Diseases’ online reporting system, ProMed.
Reported symptoms are high fever without cough, with some children developing lung nodules that can indicate bacterial infections like pneumonia.
Per the post, the Beijing Children’s Hospital lobby remained crowded with parents seeking treatment for their children’s pneumonia.
According to the post, the situation in Liaoning Province is “serious,” with the lobby of Dalian Children’s Hospital filled with sick children receiving intravenous drips. A Dalian Central Hospital staff member reportedly said that patients were waiting in line for two hours, and “we are all in the emergency department, and there are no general outpatient clinics.”
While only recently known, infectious disease website FluTrackers has logged reports of overwhelmed pediatric hospitals and cases of Mycoplasma pneumonia, caused by bacteria that often causes upper respiratory tract infections and pneumonia, in China since August.
China could be seeing a surge in respiratory infections as other countries did their first winter after COVID-19 lockdowns were lifted, Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious disease physician with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Health Emergencies Program, said on X. “They have already reported surge of #Mycoplasma pneumonia but this could be anything – let’s gather data,” she wrote.
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