White lung syndrome broke out in many countries

White lung syndrome caused by mycoplasma bacteria appears in Europe, America and China, causing many children to be hospitalized for long-term treatment.

William McCarren, 14 years old, was taken to the hospital in a state of "barely being able to breathe". The family said the boy cried and clutched his chest all the way home from school.

"He was pale, almost unconscious, like he was about to faint," said his mother, Mollee Campbell.

At the emergency room, the doctor said that William's lungs were full of fluid and the oxygen in his organs was only about 75%. If the oxygen level drops lower (about 70%), the boy could suffer brain damage.

William was diagnosed with pneumonia due to infection with mycoplasma, a type of respiratory bacteria that has appeared in Europe and China. The boy is one of more than 140 children in Warren, Ohio with this condition. Experts say the number of cases here is so high that it "fits the definition of an outbreak".

According to pediatricians, pneumonia has overwhelmed many hospitals in the past two to three days. Medical forces are trying to ensure enough medicine is provided to children.

On November 30, Warren health officials reported that there had been 145 cases of pneumonia since August, calling this an "extremely high" number. Areas of Western Massachusetts also recorded unusually high levels of mycoplasma.

Typically, mycoplasma outbreaks occur about every five years, but they rarely make a splash because symptoms are mild and deaths are extremely rare. However, this year, the epidemic tends to be much more serious. The reason is that children are naturally immunocompromised after two years of school closures and must wear masks according to regulations.

Mycoplasma is also the cause of an outbreak in China, causing children's hospitals in the North to be overwhelmed. The bacteria also appeared in European countries such as the Netherlands and Denmark.

Since the beginning of the year, many Vietnamese children have been hospitalized for long-term treatment due to this bacteria. Doctor Do Hoang Hai, Pediatric Center, Bach Mai Hospital, said 30-40% of pediatric pneumonia patients treated here are infected with mycoplasma. Doctors do not know the cause of mycoplasma diseases that have appeared recently, but note that this is unusual and continue to monitor. On December 4, the Ministry of Health also issued warnings to people to prevent epidemics when respiratory diseases broke out in many countries.

However, the doctor emphasized that this is not an epidemic spreading from one country to another . Mycoplasma outbreak cycles appear at a time when children's immunity is very weak.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease expert from Johns Hopkins University, said this is a "global" epidemic. He believes that pneumonia outbreaks remain cyclical, as is the nature of mycoplasma in the past.

Typically, bacterial respiratory infections flare up when people are recovering from seasonal flu or other viral illnesses.

Global immunity to seasonal pathogens is also lower, because pandemic restrictions have prevented people from being naturally exposed to routine bacteria and viruses for nearly three years. In particular, in strict blockade areas like China, community immunity is more affected.

"So what is happening in China is quite easy to understand. Last year, the US was besieged by three diseases: Covid-19, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) when it first opened," Dr. Adalja said.

The most vulnerable group is children born during the two years of the pandemic. They have not yet experienced any type of infectious disease, while social interaction during the early years of human development is very important. Getting certain diseases regularly will strengthen your child's immune system.

To diagnose mycoplasma, patients are often prescribed serological tests, PCR tests or tests to look for bacterial growth in blood samples. However, treating pneumonia caused by mycosplasma is very difficult, because this bacteria is resistant to antibiotics. Therefore, most patients do not respond to treatment with common antibiotics. Some patients with severe complications or drug-resistant mycoplasma infections require specific treatment.

* SOURCE: https://vnexpress.net/hoi-chung-phoi-trang-bung-phat-o-nhieu-nuoc-4685287.html