Mysterious pneumonia outbreak in China; symptoms to prevention tips, all you want to know🦠 🔬

Mysterious pneumonia outbreak in China has led to rise in hospitalisations in the country and is being attributed to the immunity debt created by lockdowns.🦠 🔬

A mysterious pneumonia outbreak in China has led to a massive spike in hospital admissions in the country. According to the state-owned China National Radio, the Beijing children’s hospital is seeing an average of 7,000 patients per day, which has overwhelmed the healthcare system in the country. According to reports, the infection that's mostly affecting children is causing lung inflammation and high fever in the affected individuals but other respiratory symptoms like cough are missing. Experts say the surge in cases of this 'undiagnosed pneumonia' could be due to a phenomenon called 'immunity debt' after lifting of lockdown restrictions in the peak season of respiratory illnesses. Experts suspect this mystery influenza-like illness found in Beijing and Liaoning Province of China could be due to pre-existing viruses like RSV, bacteria or atypical bacteria like Mycoplasma etc.

"China has reported an outbreak of mysterious influenza-like illness mostly among children recently. Children are presenting with high-grade fever without any other symptoms and further radiological investigations have revealed lung lesions. Some patients have been hospitalised for further management. There are numerous viruses such as Adenovirus, influenza virus, enterovirus, rhinovirus, RSV and Covid virus which can cause such symptoms. Important thing to be noted is that all viral infections do not necessarily cause the full spectrum of symptoms which we associate with common flu. Common symptoms of any viral infection are fever, with or without chills. There may be associated running nose, cough, SOB, vomiting and loose motions but it is not always necessary for additional symptoms to be there, says Dr Tushar Tayal, Consultant-- Internal Medicine at CK Birla Hospital Gurugram.

"Recently, there has been a rise in pneumonia cases among children, particularly in certain areas of northern China, prompting concerns reminiscent of the events in November and December 2019. However, there is some relief as per a report from the World Health Organization (WHO). The Chinese government has clarified that these cases are attributed to known pathogens such as bacteria and viruses, including the influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, some COVID cases, and some mycoplasma cases. Given that the incidence of pneumonia typically increases during winter, it is hoped that this surge is seasonal. According to the WHO report, the Chinese government has identified the causes of these pneumonia cases, ruling out the presence of any new viruses or bacteria. Consequently, there is no immediate risk of the situation spreading globally or reaching India. While there is a sense of reassurance, it is important to remain cautious," says Dr Sushila Kataria, Senior Director, Internal Medicine, Medanta, Gurugram.

"According to WHO, in their November 13 press meeting, China's National Health Commission officials reported alarmingly large number of cases of respiratory diseases in the country. These infections are likely due to respiratory illnesses like influenza, mycoplasma pneumoniae (a common bacterial infection which typically affects younger children), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19). This surge in childhood infections is being linked to co-incidence between lifting of lockdown restrictions and the start of winter, when such respiratory infections are more prevalent. On 21 November, media and ProMED (part of the International Society for Infectious Diseases) reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children in northern China. It is unclear if these cases are associated with the overall increase in respiratory infections previously reported by Chinese authorities, or separate events. Since mid-October, northern China has reported an increase in influenza-like illness compared to the same period in the previous three years, says Dr. Gurmeet Singh Chabbra, Director-Pulmonary, Marengo Asia Hospitals Faridabad. 🦠 🔬