Doctors and parents are warning about a rise in ‘white lung’ pneumonia among US children – a year after a frightening outbreak overseas.
The infection – caused by the bacteria Mycoplasma pneumonia – is particularly affecting youngsters aged two to four who were born during the Covid pandemic.
The infection gets its nickname ‘white lung’ because of the hallmarkwhite spots it leaves on X-rays of patients’ lungs.
Her son Caleb, second from left, was hospitalized for nearly a week with mycoplasma pneumonia Your browser does not support iframes.
While the X-ray cannot diagnose mycoplasma pneumonia itself, it can help doctors detect inflammation and fluid buildup, which appears as white masses.
Parents and doctors are alerting the public to an increase in “white lung” pneumonia in children in the United States, one year after a terrifying outbreak abroad.
The illness, which is brought on by the bacteria Mycoplasma pneumonia, is especially affecting children who were born during the COVID-19 pandemic and are between the ages of two and four.
At its peak in August, the bacteria was identified in over 10 percent of ER visits for pneumonia in this age group.
Since M. pneumoniae hasn’t been identified as a major cause of pneumonia in this age group in the past, the CDC said that this was unusual. “…
For four nights in Baltimore, Alexis Geddes sat by her daughter Alma’s hospital bed while Alma, then three, gasped for air.
“It’s really frightening when your child is unable to breathe,” Ms. Geddes told the Baltimore Banner. Additionally, there were children everywhere who were merely trying to breathe. “.”.
The characteristic white spots the infection leaves on X-rays of patients’ lungs are what give it the moniker “white lung.”.
While receiving treatment for mycoplasma pneumonia, Alma Geddes, center, is seen with her brothers at a hospital in Baltmore.
Due to her inability to eat anything other than bacon and strawberries, Alma, who was already small, lost weight.
With her thin cheeks, her large blue eyes seem even rounder.
Azithromycin, the usual treatment for mycoplasma pneumonia, was administered to Alma at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center.
Alma’s lungs finally began to heal. She was released from GBMC after the staff gradually weaned her off of oxygen, excited to see her brothers and her cherished dog, Cybele.
Alma is extremely tired, though, and must be woken up every four hours for nebulizer treatments. Her mom is also worn out.
“I think we both still feel like we were hit by a bus,” Ms. Geddes stated. “.”.
A rise in cases across all age groups is evident in the data on M. pneumoniae discharge diagnoses from March 31 to October 5, 2024, with a peak in August and ongoing high rates.
It increased from 3 percent to 7 percent among children aged 5 to 17 and from 1 percent to over seven percent among children aged 2 to 4.
However, since there is no national surveillance system to monitor mycoplasma pneumonia infections, it is impossible to determine the actual number of children and adults who have the illness.
Three-year-old Alma was one of several kids with pneumonia that the Greater Baltimore Medical Center’s doctors have seen this year.
For three nights and four days, Alma Geddes remained in the hospital until the doctors could wean her off of the oxygen and antibiotics.
Infectious disease specialist Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University Medical Center described what parents have called “white lung pneumonia” as one of the symptoms of mycoplasma pneumonia.
In an interview with DailyMail . com, he stated: “There is a specific type of bacteria [M. pneumoniae] that is less well researched but does happen during [unusual] times for unclear reasons. It also causes pneumonia, which is fortunately curable. “.
Outbreaks of mycoplasma infections can also happen in seemingly random clusters in schools and on military bases at any time of year, in contrast to viruses like the flu and RSV that typically strike during the colder months.
The most noticeable symptom is a lot of coughing, but other symptoms include fatigue, lethargy, and an intermittent fever.
A stethoscope can identify lung congestion in the majority of patients, but not all of them do. Other symptoms could be a sore throat, headaches, and, less often, a rash.
“We might describe it as a kind of large surge of mycoplasma infections last year and into this year,” Dr. Schaffner continued, “so the white lung concept or syndrome has been much more talked about than in many other years.”. ‘.
Hospitals in Fort Worth, Texas, have seen a rise in the number of children with mycoplasma pneumonia receiving an ED diagnosis.
As compared to last summer, when the health care system had a zero percent positivity rate, Cook Children’s Medical Center reported in July that 80 of the 398 patients tested positive.
And in Washington, DC, physicians at Children’s National Hospital reported: “Over the past few weeks, we have seen an increase in detection.”. “.”.
Stephanie Parks saw her youngest son, Caleb, gasp for air in an ambulance while being transported to Cook’s Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. There, he was tested and found to have mycoplasma pneumonia.
When doctors checked Caleb’s lungs, they sounded “crystal clear,” she said, and they assumed his labored breathing was caused by allergies. On October 10, Caleb had what they believed to be strep throat.
“Within two days, we were in the emergency room,” she said, adding, “Make sure your child gets a chest x-ray and is tested for mycoplasma pneumonia if they are coughing and having trouble breathing.”. A throat swab, that is. Demand it. “.”.
A photo of Stephanie Parks and her family is shown on the left. Her son Caleb, second from left, had mycoplasma pneumonia and spent almost a week in the hospital.
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A bacterial infection turns into pneumonia when it spreads to the lower respiratory tract and penetrates lung tissue from the upper respiratory tract, which includes the nose, throat, and upper bronchial tubes.
Mycoplasma pneumonia is tested for by nurses swabbing the throat and nose, then sending the sample to a lab to see if the bacteria’s DNA is present.
X-rays are frequently performed by doctors to examine the lungs. Although an X-ray cannot identify mycoplasma pneumonia directly, it can assist medical professionals in identifying swelling and fluid accumulation, which manifest as white masses.
Last year, there were mycoplasma outbreaks in Europe, China, and a number of states, including Massachusetts and Ohio.
The Covid pandemic, when millions were isolated from other germs, saw a low incidence of this bacterial infection worldwide.
According to Seattle pulmonologist Dr. Vinay Gupta, the renewed surge this summer is surprising because, “if you look back over the last 30 years, you’ll see that there’s peaks in transmission every about three to four years.”.
What we witnessed in 2023 may be repeated in 2027. Since COVID has altered our understanding of [these illnesses] in some ways, it is currently impossible to predict whether or not that will be the case. ‘.
