The mysterious pneumonia cases plaguing the children in China has now spread over Europe, with the officials in other countries also scrambling to take preventive measures amidst fears over another pandemic like Covid.
According to the Independent news outlet, The Netherlands and Denmark have also reported a spike in cases.
In the Netherlands, cases of pneumonia have been rising among children aged 5 to 14 years.
The Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL) reported that pneumonia cases increased to 130 per 100,000 children in the week leading up to November 26. At its peak last year, there were 58 per 100,000 children.
The disease has also been reported in the group of young people between 15 and 24 years old than in previous years. In week 47 this number increased further to 38 per 100,000.
However, it is unknown whether the cases in the Netherlands is linked to the uptick seen in China.
Similarly, Denmark’s Statens Serum Institut (SSI) recorded a spike in pneumonia cases, with the numbers rising more than three-fold in five weeks from 168 cases to 541.
“In the past five weeks, the number of new cases has increased significantly, and we are now seeing significantly more cases than usual, and that there is widespread infection throughout the country,” Senior researcher at SSI Hanne-Dorthe Emborg was quoted as saying.
India, Vietnam on alert
The sudden outbreak of the mysterious disease has sent alarm bells in other countries bordering or which are near China, including India, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Meanwhile, the emergence of pneumonia has triggered concerns over links to any novel virus as the country braced for its first winter after lifting the COVID-19 restrictions.
However, the Chinese Health Ministry clarified that the rise in cases was due to an overlap of known pathogens.
There has been a rise in cases linked to viruses such as influenza, rhinoviruses, the respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, the adenovirus, as well as bacteria such as mycoplasma pneumonia, the ministry said in a statement.
Disease not linked to any novel virus
According to Chinese health authorities, the outbreak could be linked to mycoplasma pneumonia, also known as “walking pneumonia”, a common bacterial infection typically affecting children that has been circulating since May.
WHO also dismissed links to novel viruses.
“We asked about comparisons prior to the pandemic. And the waves that they’re seeing now, the peak is not as high as what they saw in 2018-2019,” Maria Van Kerkhove, acting director of the WHO’s Department of Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and prevention, said.
“This is not an indication of a novel pathogen. This is expected. This is what most countries dealt with a year or two ago.”
(With inputs from agencies)
