- This winter, the number of children in China with pneumonia has hit new highs, resulting in severely overcrowded hospitals.
- For some, the situation is reminiscent of the early days of COVID-19, though experts are largely unanimous in expressing assurance that this is not the start of a new pandemic.
- While there are several possible causes, including common seasonal viruses and bacteria such as mycoplasma and antibiotic resistance, no unusual pathogens have been reported.
With memories fresh regarding the outbreak of COVID-19 from Wuhan, China, it is not surprising that some are concerned about a substantial spike in hospitalizations due to cases of pneumonia among children in China. Experts say, however, that this is likely not a possible pandemic but rather the result of a few predictable, non-worrisome factors.
This is China’s first winter without COVID-19 protections in place since 2020, and Reuters reports that WHO China said “Chinese health authorities advised that the current numbers they are observing is not greater than the peak in the most recent cold season prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Some individuals have claimed the increase in pneumonia cases seen is due to ‘immunity debt’, the idea that children were not exposed to usual childhood infections during lockdowns, and will get those infections at a later date as they have not encountered those bacteria and viruses to build up an immunity to them.
However, it is not necessarily the case that they will experience a worse infection. A paper published in
The common…
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