CBS News – Nationwide rates of emergency room visits for babies with Mycoplasma pneumoniae are on track to surpass rates for school-age children, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows, as doctors nationwide are grappling with a surge of “walking pneumonia” cases.
The new figures come from the CDC’s National Syndromic Surveillance Program, which gathers data on pneumonia-associated emergency room visits from U.S. hospitals.
While cases had been higher in school-age kids compared to other age groups, rates in babies have surged in recent weeks, and are now tied with older kids.
According to the latest CDC data, for the week ending Nov. 2, 7.6% of emergency department pneumonia cases for babies 0-1 years old and children ages 5-17 years old resulted in Mycoplasma pneumoniae diagnoses.
“These diagnoses dropped a little after August, but remained high through early November. Of note, diagnoses among 0–1-year-olds have steadily increased throughout the fall without any subsequent decrease,” CDC spokesperson Jasmine Reed said in a statement Tuesday.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, cases largely disappeared. CDC officials had said that this year’s wave could be heralding a return to waves of Mycoplasma pneumoniae cases that occurred prior to the pandemic.
But this year’s trend has also been unusual, since cases had previously been thought to be common only in school-aged kids, not younger children.
“While we are seeing right now that it is presenting as a typical respiratory infection, we want to make sure that there isn’t something unusual going on with the bacteria itself or the way it’s showing up that might give guidance in how to treat and prevent it,” Dr. Adam Cohen, head of the CDC’s pneumonia branch, told Medscape News earlier this month …
GOOGLE Generative AI:
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a bacteria that can cause respiratory infections, and it’s important to understand how it may affect migrants and refugees:
Transmission
M. pneumoniae is spread through close contact with an infected person, such as when they cough or sneeze. It’s most common in school-aged children and young adults, but people of all ages can get it.
Symptoms
Symptoms include a sore throat, stuffy or runny nose, sneezing, wheezing, watery eyes, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Risk factors
People who live or work in crowded settings are at higher risk.
Healthcare access
Migrants and refugees may have limited access to healthcare due to difficult living conditions, cultural barriers, and language barriers.
Antibiotic resistance
Migrants may acquire drug-resistant bacteria in refugee camps, transit centers, or detention facilities.
Management
The management of severe infections in migrants and travelers should include a systematic approach to evaluating patients.
