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How to understand Ohio’s ‘white lung syndrome’ pneumonia outbreak — and why it’s not linked to China
Andrea Blanco and Amelia Neath
Sun, December 3, 2023 at 2:12 PM EST
Health authorities in Ohio have alerted in recent days of a paediatric surge of cases of pneumonia in the state.
The Warren County Health District said in a statement on Wednesday that 145 cases of pneumonia have been reported in children between the ages of three and 14 since August. In an initial news release on Tuesday, the health district confirmed that the spreading illness was deemed an “outbreak” due to the above-average case volumes.
Recent media reports have drawn comparisons between the spike in cases of mycoplasma pneumonia, dubbed “white lung syndrome,” in both Ohio and China. But health officials in the state have warned that the outbreak is not linked to China’s — meaning that the strains seen by Ohio doctors are not spreading from country to country.
Although cases have risen in Ohio, medical experts said the trend was somewhat expected as part of the flu season, and that it was potentially exacerbated by COVID restrictions being dropped.
“We have no evidence whatsoever of any connection to any outbreaks statewide or internationally,” said Clint Koenig, a family physician and medical director at the Warren County Health Department. “We don’t have any evidence to suggest this is anything but routine, standard winter bugs causing pneumonia in higher rates in kids.”
Dr Koenig has emphasised that the cases of pediatric pneumonia in Ohio are not a new or novel virus, but rather strains of pneumonia that already circulated in the US. Warren County District reports that most children are recovering at home and no deaths have been recorded in relation to the outbreak.
Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know about both outbreaks — and why officials believe they’re not linked:
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