Parents beware! This disease is at its peak, so take precautions!

After autumn

Many children have developed symptoms of fever and cough

Confirmed "Mycoplasma pneumonia"

Also known as "Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection"

According to People's Daily Health News

Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai,

Henan, Hebei and other places

A number of experts from multiple hospitals said

Since September

Pediatrics admitted to various hospitals

The number of children infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae has increased significantly

Pneumonia strigonal infection

It is cyclical every 3-5 years

The current incidence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection nationwide

All have gone up

Over a period of more than a month starting in September

It's basically at its peak

On September 26, Hebei CDC issued a health reminder that autumn is the season of high incidence of respiratory diseases (previously reported: recent high incidence!). With the arrival of autumn, the temperature drops, mycoplasma, pneumonia, influenza and other diseases have also entered everyone's sight, reminding everyone to do a good job of protection

It is understood

There is currently no vaccine available to prevent Mycoplasma pneumoniae

The main thing is to do respiratory protection and hand hygiene

and ambient ventilation

Once pronounced respiratory symptoms appear

Seek timely medical attention

This year, the occurrence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection was advanced

There is also a characteristic of younger age

A pediatrician issued a document pointing out

This year may be a big year for the Mycoplasma pneumoniae epidemic

If the child has fever, dry cough, etc

To consider this

Children infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae in many hospitals

The number 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 on October 10. "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 reporters that in the hospital's pediatric respiratory department, there have been 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, since July this year, nearly 400 children with plasma pneumonia have been treated in Shanghai Children's Medical Center, accounting for double 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.

M. pneumoniae infection is epilectic every 3 to 5 years

It is mainly spread by droplets

"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; When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, do hand hygiene, and wash your hands frequently under running water with soap and hand sanitizer. 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.

Children under 3 years of age who develop symptoms should seek medical attention as soon as possible

In February this year, the National Health Commission issued the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in Children (2023 Edition). According to the guidelines, Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia refers to lung inflammation caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, which is a pathogenic microorganism between bacteria and viruses. Can involve the bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli, and interstitium.

M. pneumoniae pneumoniae is more common in children 5 years of age and older, but can also occur in children under 5 years of age. With fever and cough as the main clinical manifestations, it may be accompanied by headache, runny nose, sore throat, earache, etc. Fever is mainly moderate to high fever, and persistent high fever indicates severe illness. The cough is more severe and may mimic whooping cough. Some children have wheezing, which is more common in infants and young children. Early pulmonary signs may be subtle, and decreased breath sounds and dry and wet rales may occur as the disease progresses.

Experts remind that when mycoplasma pneumonia infection occurs, the child's fever may not be very serious, but there is wheezing or difficulty breathing, or there is a depression in the position of the collarbone, that is, the child has a pit in the collarbone when inhaling, or nasal congestion occurs when the nose inhales, and it is necessary to go to the hospital in time.

If the child is under 3 years old, or accompanied by congenital heart disease, genetic metabolic diseases and other underlying diseases, once there is a high fever and cough, it is best to go to the hospital as soon as possible. When these children are infected, the disease tends to progress quickly. For school-age children, if the body temperature exceeds 38.5°C and lasts for 48 hours, or the fever is not long but the energy is weak, unwilling to eat, or even vomiting and diarrhea, it is recommended to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

What are the symptoms of mycoplasma pneumonia?

How is it distinguished from the common cold?

What should parents pay attention to?

Chang Hesheng, deputy chief physician of pediatrics of Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, introduced that Mycoplasma pneumoniae is neither a bacterium nor a virus, but an atypical pathogen, although Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is not an infectious disease, but it is contagious and mainly transmitted through droplets.

The early symptoms of mycoplasma infection are no different from the common cold, but after 1 to 4 weeks, patients will further develop symptoms such as dry cough, long-term low-grade fever, fatigue, etc., and then develop high fever and even pneumonia, which is not small.

High fever and persistent cough are commonly described by families of children infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae, because Mycoplasma pneumoniae attaches to the surface of respiratory epithelial cells after entering the human body.

"For parents, if their child has high fever and obvious respiratory symptoms, they should go to the hospital as soon as possible for auscultation of lung conditions, chest x-ray, blood and etiology and other related tests to confirm whether it is mycoplasma infection," Chang said. ”

"Every autumn and winter, it is very common for school-age children to be infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae, but this year there have been more severe cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia with persistent high fever and repeated medical visits." Chang Hesheng said that on the one hand, children are in close contact after the start of school, and cross-infection may occur; On the other hand, it may be related to the weakening of the body's immune function caused by factors such as children's long time at home and little outdoor exercise in the past three years.

To prevent mycoplasma infection, what vaccine works?

Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. Also, if you are infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae, you may be reinfected after recovery.

To prevent it, these points must be done well

● Wear a mask

During the epidemic season, try to avoid going to crowded, poorly ventilated public places, and wear a mask when you must go. After going to a public place and returning home, wash your hands and face carefully, and pay attention to hand hygiene.

● Wash your hands frequently

Before eating, after using the toilet, and after going home, rinse under running water with soap or hand sanitizer for more than 20 seconds.

● More ventilation

At home, open windows frequently for ventilation to keep the environment hygienic and clean and air circulating. Open the windows and ventilate the room 2~3 times a day, each time for 20 minutes.

● Balanced nutrition

Adhere to physical exercise, ensure adequate sleep, eat reasonably, ensure sufficient nutrition, and improve immunity and resistance.

● Do a good job of protection

If the family has fever, cough and other symptoms, the children in the family are the most vulnerable to cross-infection, it is recommended to wash hands, wear masks, and avoid taking care of children with illness.

As a parent, there are only two things to keep in mind

● Seek medical attention in a timely manner

Children with persistent fever and severe cough should be alert to the possibility of mycoplasma infection and seek medical attention in time.

● Timely follow-up

If the efficacy is not good after medication, it is necessary to go to the outpatient clinic as soon as possible for further examination, to clarify whether there is a possibility of infection with other pathogens, and combine drugs.

Source: Hebei News Network, China News Network, Hebei Disease Control, Popular Science China, Health Shanghai 12320

Responsible editor: Fang Shujing, Su Haojun, Chen ZhaoyueEditor: Li Weixuan