Hong Kong battles surge in mycoplasma pneumoniae cases among children, as expert calls for city to boost supply of relevant medicine
- Experts says respiratory illness cases linked to bacteria have risen, with one noting public hospitals had seen ‘more than 100 cases every month from September onwards’
- Hong Kong’s health chief dismiss concerns over surge and stresses public healthcare system is equipped to handle any rise in upper respiratory tract infections
Hong Kong is grappling with a surge in respiratory illness cases among children infected with a bacteria contributing to an outbreak in mainland China, with an expert calling on city authorities to boost the supply of a medication used to treat the disease.
Dr Patrick Ip Pak-keung, of the University of Hong Kong’s department of paediatrics and adolescent medicine, on Saturday said the number of children admitted to public hospitals with mycoplasma pneumoniae infections had increased sharply since September.
“The situation at public and private hospitals is very worrying, the wards were crowded,” he said. “The admission rate of [children with] mycoplasma pneumoniae infections at public hospitals has increased rapidly since August, with more than 100 cases every month from September onwards.”
According to the Centre for Health Protection, the bacteria is typically spread by respiratory droplets and has a three-week incubation period.
