DOH: Bacterial infection behind respiratory illness in China behaves like COVID-19

The bacterial infection which was tagged among those causing the surge of respiratory illness in China, particularly among children, seemingly works like COVID-19, Health Undersecretary Eric Tayag said Thursday.

In a television interview, 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 in a CNN-Philippines interview.

Tayag said that this mycoplasma pneumoniae has already been recorded in the Philippines, but pointed out that it is not a regular pathogen that physicians would usually request or look for from laboratories.

“If they suspect it, they already give the antibiotics suited for it,” he added.

He said that there is also a swab test, similar to COVID-19, to find out if one is positive with mycoplasma pneumoniae. However, only a few laboratories in the country offer such.

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.

On Wednesday, 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. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News