United States: As per the recent reports, a generally common type of mild respiratory illness has been attacking again; however, this time, it is targeting an unusual group – preschool children.
Experts explain that these infections are not exceptional. For instance, it is estimated that about 2 million cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae occur annually in the United States, according to figures given by the US CDC.
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The bacteria are inhaled in droplets released by an infected person, and it may take one to four weeks from the time of contracting the infection for the symptoms to manifest themselves, bloomberg.com reported.
Jim Campbell, vice chair of the Committee on Infectious Diseases for the American Academy of Pediatrics, says that when most pediatricians have an opportunity to treat a child aged 5 to 7 years with pneumonia, this organism is always at the top of their list.
Unusual in younger children
Usually, it is not seen in early childhood. Among children between the ages of 2 and 4 years, cases in 2024 increased from one percent (1%) in late March to 7.2 percent in early October, according to the CDC.
Moreover, Campbell added, “The proportion is higher, but still it’s not the primary cause of lower respiratory tract infection in young children,” bloomberg.com reported.
However, the remaining 93 percent happened to be caused by viral pathogens, he stated.
Nevertheless, pediatricians are concerned because they cannot perform rapid mycoplasma tests on these children, like rapid strep tests in the office.
They typically submit swabs to the lab, so it takes three to four days before a decision to treat the child with antibiotics can be made.
Campbell concludes that some antibiotics do not help to destroy mycoplasma because it is not similar to bacteria.
Although pediatricians do all they can not to give a child an antibiotic unless necessary, they also do not want to let the small chance of mycoplasma, which is at about 7 percent, progress.
The CDC warns that in order to prevent respiratory illnesses, get your immunizations up to date, wash your hands often, and take time to clear your breathing space.