The Real Story Behind White Lung Pneumonia | The Transmission – University of Nebraska Medical Center

Scientific American

Experts say a pneumonia outbreak among children in Ohio anda cluster of pneumonia cases in Chinaare unrelated, despite some social media posts and tabloid articles that have ambiguously linked the two.

Theusual respiratory pathogensare making their rounds this cold and flu season, yet the specter of the pandemic has left many on alert for the next novel agent.

I understand outbreaks in China can make people nervous, but this is not that, saysPaul Offit, an infectious disease physician at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia. Although another global illness may emerge in the future, the current pneumonia reports are nothing to worry about, he adds.

Many pathogens that circulate in the Northern Hemispheres winter and year-roundincluding flu, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and now COVIDare far from benign and can lead to pneumonia in some cases. But experts say there is no reason to panic or interpret the current uptick in illnesses as anything other than the typical circulation of respiratory viruses and bacteria.

These are just everyday pathogens that normally increase during the winter having a somewhat early and very assertive increase at the present time, saysWilliam Schaffner, an infectious disease physician and a professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. But people are not helpless against these germs, saysRama Thyagarajan, an infectious disease and internal medicine physician at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School. COVID, the flu and RSV all have vaccines that can reduce the risk of pneumonia, she says.

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The Real Story Behind White Lung Pneumonia | The Transmission - University of Nebraska Medical Center