Korea on alert as pediatric pneumonia outbreak in China spreads

[Photo by AFP / Yonhap]

As the recent outbreak of Mycoplasma pneumonia in China continues to spread to neighboring countries, the number of children infected with mycoplasma pneumonia is increasing in South Korea. Frontline medical staff are calling on the government to take proactive measures, but the government maintains that the situation is at a “lower level” compared to previous years.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) on Tuesday, the number of hospitalized patients with Mycoplasma pneumoniae increased 1.6 times from 173 in the first week of November 2023 to 270 in the fourth week. Mycoplasma pneumonia is an acute respiratory infection caused by mycoplasma pneumoniae, typically recurring every 3 to 4 years in Korea, with a higher incidence in the 5 to 9 age group. Symptoms include fever, headache, runny nose, and sore throat, similar to a cold but lasting for about three weeks.

The KDCA said that “while the number of cases continues to increase with a concentration in the infant and school-age group, it is lower than the 544 cases recorded in the fourth week of November 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.” “Mycoplasma pneumonia is not a novel infectious disease but a disease that has recurred every 3 to 4 years, with the last outbreak in 2019, so we are carefully monitoring the possibility of an outbreak this year,” the agency added.

But the medical field is calling for strong government measures, with the Korea Children’s Hospital Association criticizing the government by saying, “Neighboring countries like Taiwan are on high alert due to the spread of the pneumonia, but we are responding too complacently.”

In particular, the medical community argues that the KDCA’s sampling survey is limited to “hospital-level medical institutions with more than 200 beds” nationwide, resulting in an underrepresentation of patients. In response, the KDCA said that most participating institutions (210 out of 218) with over 200 beds include pediatric departments, allowing monitoring of the situation among children. The agency also mentioned plans to review and promote the expansion of participating institutions via feedback from the medical field and academia.

Frontline healthcare providers are worried that the outbreak will reduce available medical resources. “My child has severe cold symptoms, so I had to take a day off and have been waiting for more than an hour (at the hospital),” a parent at the hospital said. “If a new infectious disease spreads, it will be more difficult to use hospital services.”

A hospital official noted that “when influenza and other diseases spread in schools and kindergartens, not only children but also adults frequently visit hospitals,” suggesting that weakened immunity during the Covid-19 period means that individuals could be more vulnerable to diseases.

“There is already a cure for Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, and it is a disease that periodically recurs. There is no need to be overly fearful of the disease,” a medical professional said, emphasizing the importance of visiting a hospital for appropriate diagnosis and treatment if cold symptoms persist.

Meanwhile, there are concerns in China that the recent spread of respiratory diseases could lead to the resurgence of control policies implemented during the country’s “zero-Covid” era. According to Radio Free Asia (RFA) on Monday, a Chinese newspaper, citing social media posts, reported that the health code, which was abolished in December 2022 along with the end of the zero Covid policy, was resurrected by Sichuan and Guangdong provinces.

The health code is a personalized QR code similar to the “vaccine pass” implemented by Korea during the Covid-19 pandemic.

China’s Shanghai Pudong International Airport has also reportedly recently resumed mandatory Covid-19 testing for arriving passengers.

“Airport authorities say they are randomly testing arriving passengers, but I witnessed Covid-19 testing for the entire plane,” a local employee told RFA. While some Covid-19 testing is taking place at Pudong Airport, the situation is reportedly not as severe as during the full lockdown period.