Mystery pneumonia hits US with 142 kids with 'white lung syndrome' in county

30 November 2023 , 17:35

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A spike in child pneumonia cases in Ohio has prompted concerns as similar spikes have been reported in China (Image: Getty Images)

Warren County, Ohio, has officially declared an outbreak as nearly 150 cases of pneumonia have been reported in recent months — mirroring recent, similar spikes of the respiratory illness in China that has had the world on edge.

With 142 cases reported since August, the number of cases meets the Ohio Department of Health's standards for an outbreak, reported WCPO, a Cincinatti-based ABC affiliate. And all of them have been reported in children, according to WLWT, with the average age of patients being around 8 years old.

The good news is that it doesn't appear to be a new disease but rather existing conditions that are just seeing an unprecedented spike amid reductions in the Covid-19 restrictions that have been prevalent across America over the past several years.

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The illness is most prevalent in children, with the average age of cases being 8 (Getty Images)

"We do not think this is a novel/new respiratory disease but rather a large uptick in the number of pneumonia cases normally seen at one time," the Warren County Health Department said in a press release obtained by WLWT.

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A definitive source for the disease has not yet been determined, however, nor has a link between all the cases as health officials continue to investigate the outbreak. "There has been no conclusive patterns among the children diagnosed," the Warren County Health Department added.

The most common symptoms are reportedly coughs, fevers and fatigue. The Warren County Health Department has said it's working with the Ohio Department of Health as well as local children's hospitals, primary care providers (PCPs) and others as the agency works to mitigate the spread of cases.

The spikes in cases come amid similar spikes in China that have had the world on edge (AFP via Getty Images)

It has encouraged families to exercise caution at gatherings around the holiday season, encouraging hand washing, the covering of mouths when coughing, staying at home while ill and making sure all vaccines are up to date. It's flu season, and the department noted that the risk is higher for disease at the moment.

Warren County, Ohio, where the outbreak is occurring, is located just northeast of Cincinnati, and officials have told local news outlets that the cases span multiple school districts in the area.

The spike in cases comes after a similar spike occurred around Beijing, China, prompting a rare intervention from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which demanded more information from the Chinese government about the cases of respiratory illness that have overwhelmed children's hospitals.

The mystery illness has been dubbed "white lung syndrome" and has been reported to be a combination of different illnesses by the Chinese government, including various pairings of influenza, SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19), RSV and mycoplasma pneumoniae. Previous reports indicated that as many as 7,000 children were admitted to one children's hospital in Beijing.

Jeremiah Hassel