The Netherlands has seen an alarming spike in pneumonia cases among children, mirroring a similar increase in China.
Dutch health experts say a striking number have fallen ill since numbers started rising in August, with most cases among people between the ages of five and 14.
Surveillance data shows that rates of the disease, which can be life-threatening, are already almost double last year’s peak.
It comes as China battles its own ‘mysterious’ pneumonia cluster, with media claiming hospitals are ‘overwhelmed with sick children’.
Eerie images reminiscent of scenes during Covid’s darkest days show healthcare workers in hazmat suits, gloves and masks spraying disinfectant through schools, corridors and outdoors.
Officials in Beijing have ruled out that a new virus is responsible for the spike. Instead, they insist the rise is due to a surge in seasonal illnesses as the country heads into its first full winter without Covid-era restrictions.
But British officials have said publicly that they are “open” to what could be behind the spike.
The Netherlands Institute for Healthcare Research (NIVEL) said that in the week ending November 16, 103 per 100,000 children aged five to 14 had been diagnosed with pneumonia (shown in the blue dotted line). At its peak last year, there were only 58 cases per 100,000
Cases among children under four are also increasing – although levels are still lower than before the pandemic, NIVEL data shows
According to the Netherlands Institute for Healthcare Research (NIVEL), more patients with pneumonia have been visiting their GP since August than expected.
The disease – inflammation of the lungs – is usually caused by a bacterial or viral infection and improves within two weeks. Coughing, shortness of breath and fever are telltale signs.
However, some people can become seriously ill, especially people over 65, babies or young children and people with lung diseases.
Data from NIVEL shows that in the week ending November 16, 103 per 100,000 children aged five to fourteen were diagnosed with pneumonia.
At its peak last year, there were only 58 cases per 100,000.
Data from general practices also show that, according to NIVEL, more patients aged 15 to 24 develop pneumonia than usual.
Cases among children under four are also increasing, although levels are still lower than before the pandemic. However, the number of infections among people over 65 is decreasing.
NIVEL has not explained the cause of the sharp increase.
However, the Netherlands is currently experiencing an increase in the number of flu, Covid and RSV cases. All three viruses can cause pneumonia.
The Dutch cluster also apparently predates that of China, which was only reported to be increasing in November.
Professor Ian Jones, a virologist at the University of Reading, told MailOnline that it is ‘not clear why’ the Netherlands is seeing an increase in pneumonia cases – unless they keep their data ‘better than elsewhere’.
He said: ‘It could be a local seasonal epidemic that just happens to coincide with the cases in China.
‘Pneumonia can have many causes, so I doubt this can be properly analyzed until the underlying infection(s) is identified.’
Officials in Beijing first reported an increase in respiratory illnesses at a press conference on November 13, which they attributed to the lifting of lockdown restrictions.
Similar patterns were seen globally as measures to combat the spread of Covid – such as face masks, social distancing and lockdowns – interrupted the spread of typical seasonal viruses.
As a result, immunity against the insects dropped in all population groups, meaning people became more vulnerable as measures were lifted.
Officials blamed Mycoplasma pneumoniae, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Covid for the disease spike.
Then last week, ProMed – a disease surveillance system that first spotted the Covid outbreak in 2019 – reported clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children.
An editor’s note on the alert read: ‘This report suggests a widespread outbreak of an undiagnosed respiratory disease… It is not at all clear when this outbreak began as it would be unusual for so many children to be affected so quickly. ‘
The alarm prompted the World Health Organization to call on China to share data on these patients, recent trends in virus spread and pressure on hospitals.
In the meantime, the WHO has urged people in China to practice social distancing, stay home if sick and wear masks.
However, China insisted that no new pathogen was responsible for the disease outbreak, instead pinning the surge in cases on a wave of standard seasonal insects.
And the WHO subsequently said it had seen data suggesting the disease spike was just a resurgence of seasonal viruses after the country’s brutal lockdowns.
Maria Van Kerkhove, acting director of the WHO’s Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention Division, said the peak in diseases is not higher than pre-Covid levels.
Images have emerged of healthcare workers in China spraying disinfectants in streets and schools.
Dressed in hazmat suits, gloves and masks, staff walk between desks in classrooms, hallways and even outside as a mist of sterilizing fluid is released
The clip was posted by New York-based blogger Jennifer Zeng, who said the footage was taken on Friday in Sanhe City, 40 miles (64 kilometers) east of Beijing.
Ms. Zeng, reporting on China, said the Sanhe City Emergency Rescue Center organized personnel to enter school campuses wearing protective gear
She said the increase appears to be caused by an increase in the number of children contracting seasonal bugs and that there is no evidence of a new pathogen.
However, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on Friday did not rule out that a new virus was behind the outbreak.
Professor Dame Jenny Harries, the chief executive of the UKHSA, said: ‘We must remain open about the cause of any increased reports of disease clusters, including this disease in Chinese children.’
She added that the agency is “closely monitoring the situation” and “will respond as more information becomes available.”
It will continue international monitoring work to detect potential infectious threats to Britain and will work with global partners to ‘understand the current epidemiology’.
Meanwhile, images have emerged of healthcare workers in China spraying disinfectants in streets and schools.
Dressed in hazmat suits, gloves and masks, staff walk between desks in classrooms, hallways and even outside as a mist of sterilizing fluid is released.
The clip was posted by New York-based blogger Jennifer Zeng, who said the footage was taken on Friday in Sanhe City, 40 miles east of Beijing.
Ms. Zeng, who reports on China and is a member of the International Press Association, said the Sanhe City Emergency Rescue Center has organized personnel to enter school campuses wearing protective gear.
China has previously been criticized for downplaying the original SARS epidemic in 2003 and the Covid pandemic in late 2019 – both new viruses that caused pneumonia.
Commentators emphasized that the wave of illness was eerily similar to reports that emerged just before Covid, accusing China of covering it up.
While the country insists it can handle the spike in cases, local media reports that health facilities are “overwhelmed by sick children.”
The Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said more than 3,500 cases of “respiratory tract infection” had been admitted to Beijing Children’s Hospital in early October, Radio Free Asia reported.
A staff member at Beijing Friendship Hospital’s pediatric ward said there had to be a 24-hour wait before any emergencies were noticed.
Chinese social media platform Weibo has also reportedly been flooded with clips of hospital waiting rooms full of children.
One clip suggested that 700 people are already queuing to see a doctor, according to The Telegraph.
In another message, a bulletin from a regional hospital reads: “Dear parents, many children are suffering right now.”
It then adds: ‘It takes approximately 13 hours to wait for treatment.’