Mint Explainer: Should India be worried about China’s ‘walking pneumonia’?

livemint.com:

Memories of the Covid-19 pandemic have resurfaced as a mysterious respiratory illness among children emerged in China, the epicenter of the earlier outbreak. Hospitals in many Chinese cities have been operating at maximum capacity the past two months, taking in more than 9,000 patients a day. The alarming scenes from China have put health authorities worldwide on high alert.

This Mint Explainer aims to delve into the causes of this mysterious illness, how it differs from Covid-19, and how health bodies worldwide are preparing to address similar situations. The global spotlight turned to the outbreak on November 13 when China’s National Health Commission held a press conference, revealing a notable increase in respiratory illnesses. Subsequently, the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases, a global surveillance system for infectious disease outbreaks, reported cases of undiagnosed pneumonia primarily affecting children in northern China.

Chinese health authorities have attributed the significant increase in respiratory infections to the winter. According to Chinese health officials, there has been a rise in children getting hospitalised since May, particularly in northern cities such as Beijing. These were primarily attributed to known pathogens such as influenza, mycoplasma pneumonia, respiratory syncytial virus, and SARS-CoV-2—the virus responsible for Covid-19.

Mycoplasma pneumonia is a key player in the current outbreak. In the respiratory realm, Covid-19 and Mycoplasma pneumonia present distinct challenges. Mycoplasma, a subtle bacterium, causes ‘walking pneumonia’, often mild but surging among children as strict Covid lockdowns resulted in lower antibody levels.