People in Japan are being urged to wear masks, as doctors fight the worst epidemic of “walking pneumonia” seen for more than 20 years.
Nearly 6,000 cases of the condition, officially known as mycoplasma pneumonia, have been reported so far this year, a more than 10-fold increase on the previous year, and the highest number since records began in 1999.
Children are especially vulnerable to the respiratory disease, which spreads via droplets, according to the Japanese National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID).
Japan typically sees a spike in cases of mycoplasma pneumonia every five years or so but experts are concerned at the severity of the current outbreak.
Mycoplasma pneumonia is known as “walking pneumonia”, because its long incubation period and comparatively mild symptoms allow carriers to spread the disease before falling ill.
It is particularly prevalent among children and younger people, leading experts to warn that it can spread widely in schools, before infected children take it home.
To combat the spread of the disease, experts from five Japanese medical associations, including the Japanese Respiratory Society, have strongly encouraged a return to mask wearing and improved indoor ventilation.
“People should be thorough in taking basic precautions to stop the spread of the disease, such as mask wearing and washing hands,” said Mukae Hiroshi, Professor at Nagasaki University and member of the Japanese Respiratory Society.
Drug-resistance concerns
Most people who become infected suffer only minor symptoms and will make a full recovery. However, mycoplasma pneumonia can lead to prolonged illness, hospitalisation and severe complications, such as encephalitis (swelling of the brain).
It can cause exacerbation of existing respiratory problems including asthma and cystic fibrosis, and inflammation of the heart and kidneys. In rare cases, it can result in death.
A number of patients are confirmed to be carrying antibiotic-resistant strains of the disease, said the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
Patients are being urged to seek further medical assistance if their symptoms persist after completing prescribed antibiotics.
An additional challenge such cases pose is that the antibiotics quinolone and tetracycline, to which the bacteria are less likely to be resistant, can cause severe side effects in children.
According to data released by the Japanese NIID, between 20 and 30 per cent of infections of Mycoplasma pneumonia are of antibiotic-resistant varieties. Though this actually represents a decrease in incidence of such strains in Japan over the past 10 years, Japan is a regional outlier in this regard, with some areas of China reporting resistance rates of upwards of 90 per cent in 2023. Consequently, the NIID urges caution and careful monitoring of the current outbreak.
This news from Japan comes soon after the United States’ Centers for Disease Control observed a similar increase in cases this year, with the percentage of those testing positive for the disease increasing from 0.7 to 3.3 per cent across all age groups, and from 1 to 7 per cent among children aged two to four.
Doctors hope stricter testing and greater public awareness will help curb the rise in cases.
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