Kolkata: 10-yr-old girl suffers mild respiratory issues, detected with 'Chinese pneumonia'

Kolkata: A rare strain of pneumonia- mycoplasma pneumoniae, previously identified among children in China, has now been detected in a 10-year-old girl at the Institute of Child Health in Kolkata.

According to reports, the child was admitted to a hospital in Park Circus on December 25 with complaints of mild respiratory issues, cough and fever. During the check-up, the doctors found mycoplasma pneumoniae as the cause of the illness, claimed reports. 

The disease is widely called 'Chinese pneumonia' since the country saw significant number of cases related to respiratory distress caused by mycoplasma pneumoniae in November last year. The doctors practicing at Delhi AIIMS found this infection in over five patients, mostly children, earlier in 2023. 

During last year, the authorities in China reported an increase in the cases of respiraory distress and attributed the same to circulation of various pathogens such as mycoplasma pneumoniae, a bacteria that’s not as infectious as a virus like COVID-19 but has affected vast swathes of the population.

Apart from China, the pneumonia has caused a surge in respiratory infection in other countries as well including the United States, and led to a few deaths.