The number of children with mycoplasma pneumonia increases, with epidemics occurring every 3 to 5 years
On October 11, People's Daily health client reporters learned from many hospitals in Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Henan, Hebei and other places that since September, the number of children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection admitted to pediatrics in various hospitals has increased significantly.
A number of experts told reporters that Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection will be cyclical every 3-5 years, and the incidence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in the country has increased, and it is basically at its peak for more than a month from September. There is currently no vaccine available to prevent Mycoplasma pneumoniae, mainly to do a good job of respiratory protection and hand hygiene and environmental ventilation, once obvious respiratory symptoms appear, timely medical attention.
The number of children infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae in many hospitals has increased significantly
Li Zheng (pseudonym), a family member of the child in Tongzhou District, Beijing, took his 8-year-old son to the hospital yesterday. "Before the National Day holiday, my child had a fever and occasionally coughed, thinking it was a common cold, taking cold medicine for two days, not good, but more serious, we came to the hospital, the doctor was diagnosed with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, at that time in the hospital diagnosed with mycoplasma infection is not a few children."
"Our pediatric respiratory department has also recently experienced a peak in visits. Mycoplasma infections experienced a small peak in June-July this year, a decline in August, and an increasing trend in September. On October 11, Zhou Rongyi, member of the Pediatrics Branch of the Chinese Association of Chinese Medicine and deputy chief physician of the Department of Pediatrics of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine, told the People's Daily Health Client reporter that in the hospital's pediatric respiratory department, there are about 6,000 or 7,000 cases of respiratory diseases every week recently, of which about 20% of the children are diagnosed with mycoplasma infection.
According to the "Shanghai Huangpu" public account released on October 11, since July this year, Shanghai Children's Medical Center has treated nearly 400 children with mycoplasma pneumonia, doubling the proportion compared with previous years, reaching about 80%. According to the public account of the "First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province" released on October 9, since mid-September, the pediatrics of major hospitals in Yunnan have ushered in a wave of small peaks, and the number of cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection has increased significantly.
According to the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Children (2023 Edition), Mycoplasma pneumonia is the most important community-acquired pneumonia in children aged 5 and above in mainland China. The disease arises from Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection and is a pathogenic microorganism between bacteria and viruses. Children with infection may have symptoms such as fever and cough.
M. pneumoniae infection is epilectic every 3 to 5 years
"Mycoplasma pneumonia has become a common respiratory disease in children in recent years, but this year is different from the previous in that most of the Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections in previous years were high in autumn and winter, but this year it hit early. Recently, there has been a marked increase in the number of children presenting for treatment with mycoplasma pneumonia. Niu Bo, deputy director of the respiratory department of Hebei Provincial Children's Hospital, told the People's Daily Health Client reporter that Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection has the characteristics of periodic epidemics, generally there will be a peak of infection in 3-5 years, and this year may belong to the epidemic cycle of Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
One child undergoing aerosol therapy. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Yuan Quan
Mycoplasma infection is mainly transmitted through droplets, Zhou Rongyi reminded that you should try to avoid crowded and poorly ventilated public places, and you should wear a mask when you must go; Schools, kindergartens and other places should pay attention to ventilation and disinfection to avoid cluster infection. In terms of treatment, doctors will adopt comprehensive treatment, in the early stage of infection, more use of traditional Chinese and Western medicine treatment, traditional Chinese medicine to clear heat and polyester sputum, open lungs and asthma, western medicine to azithromycin and other anti-infection, for children with lobar pneumonia, will consider hormones, bronchoscopy and traditional Chinese medicine and other ways of combined treatment.
For parents, if the child has high fever and obvious respiratory symptoms, they should go to the hospital as soon as possible for auscultation of lung conditions, chest radiograph, blood and etiology and other relevant tests to confirm whether it is mycoplasma infection. At the same time, the mycoplasma infection has hidden onset and rapid spread, and some children may not have obvious fever, cough and other symptoms, only mild cough, pharyngeal discomfort, poor spirit and other manifestations, it is recommended that parents should also take their children to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible.