2023-11-27 13:12:00
An anomalous increase in pneumonia in children and young people under 15 has been recorded in France in recent weeks, causing considerable concern. A bacterium, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, is under accusation, also responsible, at least in part, for the outbreak of pneumonia in China, according to available information.
In the country beyond the Alps, the significant increase in cases was reported by the institutions last week, after the publication of the data from the official bulletin on the monitoring of emergency rooms, from which it emerged that, for the youngest, these infections a 44% increase in accesses between 0 and 2 years old in one week. An increase that is halved to 23% for older children, from 2 to 14 years old. In general, for pediatrics the care activity has doubled compared to the last two seasons for these pathologies.
In pediatric emergency rooms, young patients arrive due to severe fatigue, fever, persistent and deep cough. A symptom which, in France, is among the top 8 causes of emergency care in recent weeks.
Pregliasco
“No alarm” for the ‘flare’ of pneumonia recorded among children and young people in France, Fabrizio Pregliasco, virologist at the State University of Milan, tells time.news Health. However, “attention at an institutional, national and international level is needed” warns Pregliasco, maintaining that “systematic surveillance is necessary. Covid has trained us in this and has helped strengthen these systems. Let us keep the levels high so as to never be found unprepared.”
The phenomenon, continues the virologist, “could certainly also have the same cause as childhood pneumonia in China. Mycoplasma is unfortunately a bacterium with particular characteristics and the return, fortunately, to community life, without the restrictions to which the pandemic, also brings with it some risks. It is a period of greater possibility of circulation for these microorganisms.”
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