Childhood Pneumonia Cases Surge in Europe and China

BEIJING, KOMPAS.com – Childhood pneumonia cases are also emerging in Europe as China faces this unprecedented respiratory outbreak.

Quoted from Independent on Sunday (3/12/2023), the Netherlands and Denmark reported a spike in cases, while India, Taiwan and Vietnam began taking preventive measures.

China’s Ministry of Health said the cases of pneumonia in children were caused by various known pathogens and not a new virus.

Also read: Influenza-Like Disease Spreads in Northern China, WHO Requests More Data

There is an increase in cases related to viruses such as influenza, rhinovirus, respiratory syncytial virus or RSV, adenovirus, as well as bacteria such as mycoplasma pneumoniae, said the Chinese Ministry of Health.

The ministry added that this outbreak may be related to mycoplasma pneumoniae, also known as “walking pneumonia”, which is a common bacterial infection that usually attacks children and has been spreading since May 2023.

Symptoms of walking pneumonia include:

Sore throat Fatigue Prolonged cough that can last weeks or months

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued an official request for data on respiratory diseases and reported cases of pneumonia in children after cases in China increased.

Also read: Respiratory Outbreaks Are Soaring in China, Should the World Be Worried?

Pneumonia cases in children in the Netherlands and Denmark

A total of two countries in Europe reported cases of pneumonia in children, namely the Netherlands and Denmark.

In the Netherlands, the number of children aged 5-14 years suffering from this disease increased to 130 per 100,000 children in the week to 26 November 2023.

When it peaked last year, the highest number of cases was 58 per 100,000 children, according to a report by the Dutch Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL).

Doctors are also seeing more cases of pneumonia in the group of young people aged 15-24 years compared to previous years. In the 47th week of 2023, the number increased to 38 per 100,000.

However, it is not known whether the increase in pneumonia cases in China is related to the surge in the “Land of Windmills”.

Meanwhile, Denmark’s Statens Serum Institute (SSI) also reported an increase in the number of pneumonia patients.

Cases more than tripled in five weeks from 168 to 541.

Senior researcher at SSI Hanne-Dorthe Emborg said, “In the last five weeks, the number of new cases has increased significantly, and we are now seeing more cases than usual, and there is widespread infection across the country.”

Also read: This is China’s claim about the cause of the spike in respiratory diseases that is in the world’s spotlight

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2023-12-04 02:33:00
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