Ohio becomes first state to report uptick in pediatric pneumonia amid surging cases in China

Ohio has become the first US state to report a mysterious uptick in pediatric pneumonia as cases surge in China.

The Warren County Health District has reported 142 cases of the illness among children since August, according to a press release.

This is above the county average and meets the Ohio Department of Health’s definition of an outbreak.

However, officials do not think it is a new respiratory disease, but “rather a large uptick in the number of pneumonia cases normally seen at one time.”

The illness has spread across multiple school districts and the average age of those fallen ill is 8 years, the local health district said.

There have so far been “no conclusive patterns among the children diagnosed,” but many have symptoms of a cough, fever and fatigue.

Children are also testing positive for mycoplasma pneumonia, strep, and adenovirus, which includes the common cold, according to the health district.

The Warren County Health District is investigating any “possible linkages and risk factors.”

The health organization encourages students and their loved ones to wash their hands, cover their coughs, and stay home when ill, as well as staying up to date on vaccines as a precaution this winter.

The district said: “The information was shared so that individuals would be aware of illness in the
community and take necessary steps to protect their health… It is not uncommon for respiratory illnesses to spread in the community during this time of year.”

The Post has reached out to the CDC for comment.

China has seen a large uptick in pneumonia among children in parts of the country, where hospitals are becoming crowded and having long wait times.

WHO issued an official information request, which seeks “additional  epidemiologic and clinical information, as well as laboratory results” from China, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The request itself is routine, but WSJ said it’s “relatively rare” for the United Nations agency to do so publicly.

Some schools in Beijing have also suspended classes that saw high infection rates, WSJ reported.

Other countries, such as Demark and the Netherlands, have also reported a rise in pneumonia cases since summer, according to the University of Minnesota.