Mystery wave of pneumonia hits AMERICA: Ohio county records 146 child cases of ‘white lung syndrome’ which it says ‘meets the definition of an outbreak’ – as China and Europe grapple with crises
An “extremely high” number of children are being hospitalized with pneumonia in Ohio – which has now become the first US state to report an outbreak like the one in China.
Health officials in Warren County, 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of Cincinnati, said there have been 142 pediatric cases of the condition — also called “white lung syndrome” — since August.
“Not only is this above the county average, it also meets the Ohio Department of Health’s definition of an outbreak,” the county health department said Wednesday.
The spread of cases has raised fears that a US outbreak of the infection has overwhelmed hospitals in China. Several European countries are facing similar crises.
But a source at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said there is “nothing out of the ordinary” nationally.
In Ohio, there is an “ongoing investigation” into the cause of the wave of illness, but officials don’t think it’s a new respiratory disease — and instead blame it on a combination of several common infections striking all at once.
Children and their parents wait in an outpatient clinic at a children’s hospital in Beijing as the city’s hospitals are overwhelmed with cases of a new virus. There are fears that the disease has also reached the US
Above is Dr. Clint Koenig, who warned that hospitalizations in Warren County, Ohio, have increased over the past week
Patients have so far tested positive for mycoplasma pneumoniae, a bacterial lung infection for which some antibiotics are useless, streptococcus and adenovirus, a normally benign respiratory infection.
The average age of patients is eight, although some are as young as three years old.
There are several theories, one of which is that children’s immunity has been weakened by lockdowns, mask-wearing and school closures during the pandemic, making them vulnerable to seasonal diseases.
Bacterial respiratory infections tend to crop up every few years, normally when people are recovering from a bout of flu or other viral illnesses.
In a news release from the Warren County Health District, officials said, “We do not believe this is a new/new respiratory illness, but rather a large increase in the number of pneumonia cases normally seen at one time.”
It added: ‘As we approach the holidays, when many of us gather with family and friends, please remember to take the necessary precautions to protect your health.
“Wash your hands, cover your coughs, stay home if you are sick and stay up to date on vaccines.”
Doctors say patients mainly suffer from fever, coughing and fatigue.
It is unclear if there have been any deaths from the disease and officials have not responded to requests for more information.
The province was first notified of the spike after schools said they were recording more children sick than normal.
Speaking to local reporters, Warren County Medical Director Dr. Clint Koenig said, “We have seen an increase in hospitalizations (for childhood pneumonia) in recent weeks, so we do ask that parents be vigilant.
“Our school districts reported the outbreak, which started around August but really picked up steam in mid-to-late October.
‘We have also noticed many cases of absent children resulting in pneumonia.’
A source at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said their data showed childhood pneumonia rates in other states were following “seasonal trends.”
“There is nothing unusual going on, but we will continue to monitor it,” they said.
It comes after the Netherlands and Denmark also said they recorded mysterious spikes in pneumonia cases, many of which are partly attributed to mycoplasma.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae normally causes a mild, flu-like illness known as walking pneumonia. Cases are most common in younger children.
Some antibiotics, such as penicillin, have no effect.
Images have emerged of workers in Hazmat suits spraying classrooms, reportedly in the city of Sanhe, about 40 miles east of Beijing. It was posted by New York activists who said the images were recent
Above are more clips from the footage, including an employee being filmed spraying disinfectant in a classroom
Above is a stock photo of a child in the hospital with a ventilator
Strep is a common cause of sore throat and is normally diagnosed in children aged five to fifteen years old, although the condition can be treated with antibiotics.
And the adenovirus, which causes symptoms similar to the common cold and was thought to be responsible for a spike in cases of hepatitis in children last year.
China has been recording a rise in childhood pneumonia cases since May, which only came to light last month after it was reported in Taiwan.
Health officials reported the cases to ProMED – the same system where Covid was first reported – and said there was a mysterious pneumonia in the country.
Thousands of sick children have reportedly been taken to hospitals in the north and east of the country, including Beijing, Shanghai and Liaoning province.
Chinese officials have emphasized that the wave of infections is not caused by a new disease but is instead the country’s “exit wave” from the pandemic.
Lockdowns weakened children’s immunity because they were not exposed to the normal ‘good’ germs needed to build a strong immune system.
The agency came under fire yesterday from Congress, which demanded it hand over all their data on the mysterious pneumonia outbreak.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee sent a scathing letter to new CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen demanding action.
They also said the CDC should start issuing biweekly updates on the state of affairs in China.
They wrote, “If the CDC wants to regain credibility with the American people, it must be transparent and candid with the information it has about the public health threats facing our nation.”