You may have heard reports of pneumonia outbreaks affecting children. Netherlands, Denmark and some of it America And China is higher than usual for this time of year.
Parents are keeping an eye on the news, while public health officials monitor the global outbreak of severe respiratory infections, documenting cases and causes. But in this outbreak, there are no new viruses or other types of new pathogens to worry about.
Here's what we know:
Pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs, usually caused by a bacterial or viral infection. It can affect deeper lung tissue than bronchitis, an inflammation of the windpipe, and can cause symptoms such as fever, difficulty breathing, and chest pain, and it appears as a white shadow on a chest X-ray of the lungs. There is no particular specification for “.”white lung pneumonia“, It may sound scary, but it's scary.
This season, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and mycoplasma pneumonia Bacterial outbreaks have been recorded and are quite expected at this time of year.Mycoplasma epidemic is reignited every few years and can resistant to common antibiotics.
Most infected children and adults develop flu-like symptoms that clear up on their own after a few days, but some patients develop more severe lung inflammation that requires treatment and, in some cases, Hospitalization may be necessary.
But why do some people get more severely ill? And will this season be any different?
Healthy children make the most of passing harmless respiratory viruses on to each other from an early age, educating their immune systems and helping them build immunity against similar germs in the future.
More than 200 viruses can cause respiratory infections, including respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, enterovirus, rhinovirus, and coronavirus. Symptoms may be more severe in young people who have not had a similar infection before.It takes approx. one week Developing weapons of specific immunity against new pathogens.
Even after the infection is cleared, memory cells remain to prevent future infections. I am thankful that I have antibodies against cold viruses such as the coronavirus. waste away After about two years, infants' RSV-specific antibodies may decline even faster. However, memory cells persist, and in order to evade immunity, the virus mutates to evade recognition.
There is no difference in the number of virus cases expected this year, and known culprits are being reported in expected waves based on pre-pandemic levels. According to the World Health Organization. mycoplasma pneumonia The flare is also as expected.
However, mycoplasma-specific herd immunity is declining; flagged It warned of a resurgence in the number of seriously ill patients following pandemic restrictions.
Unknown effects of co-infection
With COVID-19 restrictions now a thing of the past, people who mix in schools, nursing homes, and other high-risk settings are more likely to encounter multiple infectious diseases at the same time.
Research on children with acute severe hepatitis in uk and America We showed that multiple viral infections caused unexpected liver damage. Multiple infections can cause more severe disease, and even viruses can be transmitted. considered harmless This can further worsen tissue damage.
Scientific laboratories have shown that infection with multiple respiratory viruses (known as “co-infection”) can cause symptoms such as: hybrid virus. These hybrid viruses can behave differently than individual viruses, causing different symptoms and, in some cases, evading the immune system.
So what do we need to know to determine whether a new dangerous outbreak has occurred?
Incidences of known infections and symptoms are recorded and reported so new variants that may be more dangerous can be detected.Hospitals can be crowded during the following times flu seasonHowever, influenza does not occur alone, and symptoms can worsen if you are infected with multiple respiratory viruses at the same time.
Respiratory infections can cause lung damage, which takes time to heal. One respiratory infection followed by another can lengthen healing time, cause more severe symptoms, and prolong the illness. I especially feel this, asthmatic patientIt is recommended that you get a flu shot every year to avoid seasonal infections.
The infection that causes pneumonia is contagious. The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted tips for avoiding respiratory infections, including avoiding contact with infected people, effective ventilation, masks, and hand hygiene.
Given what we currently know about the effects of “harmless” infections, especially co-infections with multiple pathogens, it is important to take action to stop the spread.
Zania StamatakiAssociate Professor of Viral Immunology; University of Birmingham
This article is republished from conversation Under Creative Commons License.read Original work.
