China pneumonia outbreak in kids: Is it treatable?

On November 13, Chinese authorities from the National Health Commission reported an increase in the incidence of respiratory diseases in China and attributed this to the circulation of pathogens such as influenza, mycoplasma pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus, and SARS-CoV-2. A week later, clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children were reported in northern China by the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases (ProMED), a surveillance system.

Children are being affected the most. As per PROMED, Chinese hospitals are overwhelmed with sick children. "The Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention said that more than 3500 cases of "respiratory infection" had been admitted to the Beijing Children's Hospital at the beginning of the month," PROMED reported.

"Wait times are extremely long right now...there are no more appointment slots today," an employee who answered the phone at the Beijing New Century Children's Hospital told PROMED. "The majority of cases seem to be children, with worried parents flooding hospital phone lines and waiting rooms, yet having to wait at least a day even for emergency care. An employee who answered the phone at the Beijing Friendship Hospital pediatrics department said there is currently a 24-hour wait for emergency cases to be seen," the report says.

Not just kids, but older people and those who are immunocompromised are at risk as well.

Pneumonia can be caused by bacterial, viral, or fungal pathogens. Last week, authorities from the Chinese National Health Commission attributed influenza, COVID-19, Mycoplasma pneumoniae which is a common bacterial infection affecting younger children, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) behind the surge in respiratory illness. As per a media report published last week, hospitals in northern China were overwhelmed by thousands of children suffering from a bacterial form of pneumonia.


"The main pathogens prevalent in respiratory infectious diseases among different age groups vary," Global Times reported Wang Huaqing, chief expert of an immunization program run by the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention, saying at a press conference.

"The positive rate of influenza virus in outpatient cases in the city increased to 50 percent. Since the beginning of November, the number of cases of mycoplasma pneumonia infection has accounted for about one-fourth of cases with respiratory symptoms. Meanwhile, the spread of the XBB variant strain of COVID-19 continues to lessen and is currently at an extremely low level," the report cites data from Taizhou in East China's Zhejiang Province, a city equipped with several national and provincial multi-respiratory and multi-pathogen surveillance stations.

The peak might last one or two weeks, Chinese health experts have said. As per Li Tongzeng, the chief physician of the infection department at Beijing You'an Hospital, by New Year, young adults and children might gain immunity from the infection but the elderly will still be at risk.

According to Mi Ying, deputy chief physician of pediatrics at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, this bug can cause mild, severe, or even critical illness. "The severity isn't just related to the invasion by the pathogen, but to the person's immune response," he told the Workers' Daily.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae, which is among the known pathogens in circulation in CHina currently, is known to cause mild infections, the US CDC reported. Children who get Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection usually have signs of a chest cold and show symptoms like sore throat, fever, headache, wheezing, vomiting, stuffy nose and sneezing.

Flu causes mild to severe illness with symptoms like fatigue, sore throat, muscle ache, cough, and fever.

Infected kids in China are currently showing symptoms like fever, sore throat, fatigue, fever and a lingering cough. The infection is most commonly treated with antibiotics, China Daily reported last month citing the increase in mycoplasma pneumonia cases among kids.

Health experts are stressing on immunity gap in kids. During COVID, children had less exposure to pathogens and this is making them more vulnerable. As a result, the infection rate of respiratory infectious diseases has increased significantly this year compared with the past three years and even exceeded the level in 2019. Children, in particular, have seen a surge in visits to children's hospitals, while infection rates among adults are relatively low, Li told the Global Times.

In view of the recent reports indicating a surge in respiratory illness in children in northern China, the central government has asked all states and UTs to immediately review public health and hospital preparedness measures. "In a letter by Union Health Secretary to States and UTs, they have been advised to immediately review public health and hospital preparedness measures viz. availability of HR, hospital beds, drugs & vaccines for influenza, medical oxygen, antibiotics, personal protective equipment, testing kits and reagents, functionality of oxygen plants and ventilators, infection control practices in health facilities, at a senior level," as per an official statement. States also asked to send nasal and throat swab samples of patients with severe acute respiratory illness, particularly of children and adolescents, to Virus Research and Diagnostic Laboratories (VRDL’s) located in the States for testing for respiratory pathogens.

The WHO urges people to follow safety measures. "While WHO seeks this additional information, we recommend that people in China follow measures to reduce the risk of respiratory illness, which include recommended vaccination; keeping distance from people who are ill; staying home when ill; getting tested and medical care as needed; wearing masks as appropriate; ensuring good ventilation; and regular hand-washing," it says in a report.

​Mystery pneumonia cases rising in China: Should India be worried?​