Delhi AIIMS Detects 7 Cases Of 'Walking Pneumonia'; Not Linked To China

New Delhi: India’s health ministry has said it has identified seven cases of Mycoplasma pneumonia, also known as walking pneumonia, from April to September this year. These were detected through a study conducted by the New Delhi-based All India Institute of Medical Sciences over six months.

Also, the ministry said media reports claiming these were linked to the recent surge in respiratory infections in China, were “misleading and untrue".

"It is clarified these seven cases have no link whatsoever to the recent surge in respiratory infections in children reported from some parts of the world, including China,” the Union health ministry said in a statement.

“…The seven cases have been detected as a part of an ongoing study at AIIMS Delhi in the six months (April to September 2023) and are no cause for worry. Since January 2023 till date, no Mycoplasma pneumonia was detected in the 611 samples tested at the Department of Microbiology, AIIMS Delhi as a part of ICMR’s multiple respiratory pathogen surveillance, which included mainly severe acute respiratory illness by real-time PCR,” the statement added.

The ministry said mycoplasma pneumonia, the common bacterial cause of community-acquired pneumonia, is the reason for nearly 15 to 30 percent of all infections. “Such surge has not been reported from any part of India,” it reiterated.

Last month, India said it is closely monitoring reported cases of pneumonia in children in China and is prepared to deal with any emergency, adding that the risk to India as per the assessment so far was low.

China has been reporting a surge in respiratory illnesses since the last week of November, sparking concerns of another pandemic-like situation.

The situation was brought into the spotlight when the World Health Organisation asked China for more information, citing a report by the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases or ProMED on clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children.

Mycoplasma pneumonia are bacteria that can cause illness by damaging the lining of the respiratory system – including the throat, lungs, and the windpipe, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The outbreak, according to experts, occurs mostly in crowded settings like schools, college residence halls, military training facilities, long-term care facilities, and hospitals. Also known as the White Lung Syndrome, the bacterium in this ailment is spread through coughs and sneezes.

Apart from China, the syndrome has also been reported widespread from the US, and many countries in Europe. Experts stress that the pneumonia is not caused by a novel pathogen, can be treated with antibiotics, and most patients do not require hospitalization.

In some cases, the infection can become dangerous and develop into a more severe case of pneumonia. Long-term mycoplasma pneumonia is rare, but research says that it could play a role in chronic lung disease, and in rare cases, an untreated infection can even be fatal.