“Change body position”: the Chinese gave advice on combating mycoplasma pneumonia

A Shanghai publication is urging residents of the Chinese metropolis to focus on a number of health hazards this month. Along with COVID-19, influenza, norovirus, chickenpox and – unexpectedly – carbon monoxide poisoning, mycoplasma pneumonia is also listed.

As the publication explains, Mycoplasma pneumoniae is an atypical pathogen that is neither a virus nor a bacterium, but is a microorganism that occupies an intermediate position between bacteria and viruses. There is currently no specific vaccine to prevent pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

The Shanghai publication cites the symptoms of a mild form of this pneumonia, noting that they are similar to the symptoms of other upper respiratory tract infections: cough, fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat, etc. If the fever persists, you need to be on guard for the possibility that it may develop into a serious illness. It is recalled that mycoplasma pneumonia is more common in children of preschool and school age.

At the same time, some advice is given: during illness, it is recommended that the child rest at home. Children and people with disabilities should try to avoid crowded and poorly ventilated public places, and if they do go there, it is recommended to wear a mask. It goes without saying that you should practice good hand hygiene and wash your hands frequently with soap and hand sanitizer under running water. And to improve children’s resistance to disease, parents are advised to start by maintaining good life habits such as adequate sleep, a balanced diet and adequate exercise.

Meanwhile, as the Chinese publication Paper.cn notes, many parents in China say that their children are hospitalized due to mycoplasma pneumonia: “Autumn and winter are seasons of high incidence of respiratory infections in children, such as influenza. Faced with the threat of mycoplasma pneumonia, parents cannot help but “tremble.”

Judging by what the Pudong Health and Family Planning website writes (Pudong is one of the so-called “new districts” of Shanghai), the parent community in China is really concerned about morbidity situations. “Yesterday I took my child to the respiratory ward of the hospital for treatment and found that the hospital was really overcrowded,” one mother testified. – Recently, among patients admitted to the respiratory departments of medical institutions, the number of patients with mycoplasma infection has increased. Yes, I saw this on a hot search a few days ago. Many mothers around me also said that their babies were diagnosed with mycoplasma infection. It’s too scary.”

Recently, mycoplasma pneumonia has become one of the most common diseases in children, the pediatric departments of many hospitals are overcrowded, notes the online news portal Baijiahao, emphasizing that after the COVID-19 epidemic, the incidence of various respiratory diseases has increased, the natural epidemic characteristics and epidemic cycles of many respiratory infectious diseases. In particular, Li Tong, chief physician of the infectious diseases department of Beijing Yuan Hospital, said in an interview that, for example, the peak of influenza usually occurs from December to January and rarely occurs after February, but in the current conditions, the peak of influenza appeared in March.

It is clear that in the post-epidemic era, many respiratory infectious diseases are causing new problems, states Baijiahao.

When treating mycoplasma pneumonia, macrolide antibiotics are the first choice drugs. Not long ago, the issue of such drugs being out of stock due to rush sales became a hot topic, causing concern among many parents in China. At the same time, Baijiahao continues, the debate about antibiotic resistance has caused many people to pay attention to new tetracycline antibacterial drugs and become confused about their use. Against this background, in many places, sanitary and epidemiological services have issued documents reminding citizens that if symptoms of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection appear, they should seek medical help promptly and not take medications at random.

In general, Chinese experts recommend, if the symptoms of the disease are not very serious, to undergo treatment at home, and to do this, follow several tips: 1) maintain air circulation in the room; 2) it is important to provide adequate nutrition; 3) change body position frequently to relieve pulmonary congestion and promote absorption of inflammation; 4) pay attention to isolation to prevent cross-contamination; 5) Consider replenishing water and electrolytes to correct acidosis and electrolyte abnormalities. Proper fluid replenishment also helps moisten the airways; 6) If the symptoms are severe, go to the nearest hospital immediately and follow the doctor’s instructions for treatment.

Do not trust “home remedies” or “celebrity recipes on the Internet,” the authors of the recommendations especially emphasize.

Parents should especially be reminded that if a child is infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae, the child’s fever may not be serious, but if the breathing rate increases or is accompanied by wheezing, difficulty breathing, a depression in the collarbone, or nasal congestion, they should go to the hospital immediately, Paper.cn strongly recommends.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae does not have a cell wall structure and can be destroyed by 75% alcohol and chlorine-containing disinfectants, writes the Chinese publication.

Well, the Dalian Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine gives advice to lovers of traditional methods of treatment (however, it encourages them to use this advice under the guidance of professional doctors). In particular, she states that mycoplasma pneumonia belongs to the category of “pneumonia, asthma and cough” in traditional Chinese medicine: “It is an exogenous disease. The external cause is mainly the invasion of external evils, and the internal one is due to the lack of healthy qi energy.”

The following are a number of examples of treatment using traditional methods. For example, during the acute infectious phase (high fever, cough, sputum, sore throat, runny nose, red tongue, thin white or yellow coating and floating pulse), it is recommended to use products that include ingredients such as honeysuckle, forsythia (a genus of shrubs in the olive family), roasted burdock, cane root, raw gypsum, roasted almonds, raw licorice, etc. Some are supposed to be drunk as a decoction, and some are mixed with vinegar and applied to acupuncture points. In fact, there are a lot of recommendations – and they are not limited only to traditional medicine, but also involve other practices (for example, massage).