mycoplasma pneumoniae
HEALTH Undersecretary Eric Tayag on Thursday said the mycoplasma pneumonia behind the surge of respiratory illness in China, particularly among children, has already been recorded in the Philippines.
Tayag said that this is not a regular pathogen that physicians would usually request of look for from laboratories.
“If they suspect it, they already give the antibiotics suited for it,” he added.
In a CNN-Philippines interview, Tayag said the bacterial infection which was tagged among those causing the surge of respiratory illness in China, particularly among children, seemingly works like COVID-19.
Tayag explained that mycoplasma pneumoniae is so contagious that even before symptoms such as cough appear, the infected person can already transmit it to another person through close contact.
“It has the label of ‘walking pneumonia’ because you feel alright, except for COVID, it can easily progress to something that’s terrible,” he said.
If one is infected, Tayag said the “common sense protection” would be to isolate as the bacteria can be prevalent in close settings like households and schools.
He also said that mycoplasma pneumonia is notorious for reinfection and may linger for weeks even after treatment.
“That’s when patients who are infected with this bacteria will complain of a cough that has been with them for even four or more weeks,” he said.
However, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa allayed the concerns of the public regarding the reported spike in respiratory illness in China, saying it is not caused by a new virus and is related to the cold season there.
Aside from mycoplasma pneumoniae, the Department of Health (DOH) attributed the respiratory case increases in China to respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus, and influenza.
The DOH also said the World Health Organization recommended that general preventive measures against respiratory illnesses should be practiced, but no specific measures for travelers and border control have been recommended.
