Is a Pneumonia Outbreak Greatest Halting the Nation?
There could be panic in the public since health authorities are monitoring this widespread outbreak of pneumonia in children— but allow us to clarify. No, these cases had no links to pneumonia clusters in China and parts of Europe, as Warren County officially reported 145 cases of pneumonia in children aged between 3 to 14 since last August. Seemingly, the caseload is higher than normal, marking it as the State’s threshold for an outbreak. However, there were no deaths.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention verifies these pneumonia rates in children across the nation, detecting no unusual increases. D.C. Director Mandy Cohen noted on Friday that the reported trends do not appear to be due to a new virus or other novel pathogen, attributing these occurrences to the expected viral or bacterial causes for this respiratory illness season.
The CDC is keeping a close watch on increases in respiratory illnesses among children, predicting levels will continue to increase for Covid-19, influenza, and RSV. This is to be expected amidst the fall and winter respiratory season. And in unrelated news, a pediatrician in Texas, Jason Terk, has mentioned treating several suspected cases recently. Another pediatrician, John Kelley, dispelled a pneumonia spike in Massachusetts he attributes to widespread coverage of childhood pneumonia cases, noting they are not unusual for this time of year. The Lancet Journal further supported the paper released by saying mycoplasma reemerging in Asia and Europe.
All evidence suggests that so far, this pneumonia outbreak had no link internationally or is due to a novel pathogen, but what is driving this rise in cases remains unclear. Warren County Health Department reports an increased number of unusually sick students, alerting health providers to test children coming in and encouraging parents to be vigilant.
This is a reminder to stay calm and do not panic, continue to take preventative precautions and reduce chances of illness. Mycoplasma, which causes epidemics every several years globally, is landing on the radar of pediatricians again, so it is important to take the necessary precautions.
