At the end of October of this year, the media began to issue information about outbreaks of the epidemic of mycoplasma pneumonia in some regions of the Russian Federation. Cases of the disease have been reported in the Yaroslavl, Novgorod, Vladimir, Tula and Amur regions. The vast majority of patients are children who were in schools and kindergartens.
About SARS
The disease has a viral origin, but the flu has not been isolated from it. It mainly affects the interstitial tissue (therefore, it is called acute interstitial pneumonia). The foci are often located along the edges of the lobe, capturing part of it at the same time.
Different clinical picture. With a flu-like onset: low-grade fever, a slight cough, often dry, there are usually no percussion changes. With the help of auscultation, hard breathing over areas of the lungs, dry rales in a small amount and, in some cases, an insignificant number of moist, finely bubbling rales are detected.
Reasons
Many are interested in the question of the causes of the epidemic, as well as how dangerous the disease is and whether it is possible to prevent its occurrence. Answers to questions below.
When the process of inflammation affects the alveoli, that is, the bubbles responsible for gas exchange, we can talk about pneumonia or pneumonia. The main reason for the development of this inflammatory process is an infection that enters the lungs through the respiratory tract. Fungi, bacteria, and viruses can cause pneumonia. The most common of these are pneumococci, staphylococci, mycoplasma viruses, Haemophilus influenzae and influenza.
How dangerous is the pneumonia epidemic?
Mycoplasma
The Ministry of He alth has shared information that the majority of patients admitted to hospitals with symptoms of pathology were found to have mycoplasma. Thus, it can be concluded that the outbreak of the epidemic is caused by mycoplasmal pneumonia. This harmful microorganism is common among Russian citizens. One in five cases of acute pneumonia is caused by this bacterium.
How does infection happen?
Infection with mycoplasma occurs by airborne droplets. Most often, pathology occurs in children and adolescents, with the peak incidence occurring in the autumn months. The 2017 pneumonia epidemic was no exception to this rule and began in mid-autumn.
Featuresdiseases
The disease is called atypical by experts, as its course differs from ordinary pneumonia. The main features of mycoplasma pneumonia are:
1. Long latency period.
2. Manifestations of catarrhal symptoms of a pronounced nature, namely, redness of the throat, runny nose, etc.
3. Pronounced cough.
4. The increase in body temperature is insignificant. Only a week after the onset of the disease, it can greatly increase.
These features may explain why, in the early days, the disease during an epidemic of pneumonia is confused with a simple acute respiratory viral infection. Therefore, children are treated at home, and when the treatment prescribed for ARVI does not give a positive therapeutic effect and the patient's condition worsens significantly, they end up in the hospital.
So did the pneumonia epidemic really start in Moscow? More on that later.
Diagnosis
For the diagnosis of the disease, special studies are required, since it is rather difficult to differentiate it from other respiratory pathologies by symptoms. Patients suspected of having this type of pneumonia undergo blood sampling for a special study by ELISA. It shows the presence of immunoglobulins against mycoplasmas.
Pneumonia epidemic danger and prevention
Employees of the epidemiological service of Rospotrebnadzor claim that there is no talk of an epidemic yetgoes. So far, the number of sick, out-of-hospital patients, that is, those who became infected outside of their stay in medical institutions, for the period of 9 months in 2017 is lower than the level recorded last year.
Registered cases of pneumonia can be attributed to a seasonal increase in the incidence of acute respiratory viral infections and a weakening of the immunity of children that accompanies this fact. The infection is not overly dangerous, so patients have nothing to worry about. This variant of pneumonia responds well to antibiotic therapy. The most important thing in this matter is the timely visit to the doctor and the lack of self-treatment.
Let's see if there are ways to prevent the pneumonia epidemic in Moscow. Pathogenic microorganisms do not enter directly into the lungs. At the first stage, they affect the bronchi, throat, nose and trachea. It is in these organs that the process of inflammation begins. If a person’s immunity is strong enough, and he can resist the pathogen, then the infection will not develop further than the above organs. The main thing in this case is to support the body's immune system in a timely manner.
Recommendations
To do this, follow the following general recommendations:
1. Give the patient plenty of warm fluids. This is necessary in order to thin the sputum and prevent it from thickening. Otherwise, the mucus will sink into the lungs. This rule is especially true for children with high temperatures.
2. Regularly ventilate the room where the patient is located. It is necessary to maintain conditions favorable for recovery of humidity and air temperature. Dry, stale air and heat will only contribute to the development of pathology. An epidemic of pneumonia can be very dangerous.
3. It is impossible to give the patient drugs that are aimed at stopping the cough, if such an appointment has not been made by the attending physician. This is due to the fact that it is necessary to remove sputum from the bronchi, and this can only be done in the process of coughing.
4. It is impossible to carry out the prevention of the disease with drugs that are part of the antibiotic group.
People often ask which city has the pneumonia epidemic. He althy people who do not want to face pathology are advised to spend more time outdoors, eat a balanced wholesome diet, wash their hands more often with soap and try to avoid public places if possible.
In order to prevent an epidemic of pneumonia in schools, it is important to comply with the following instruction.
Vaccination
Experts insist on compulsory vaccination of all family members against influenza. This is due to the fact that influenza is combined with mycoplasma infection and can cause severe complications in the lungs. The best time to get vaccinated against influenza is the last two months of autumn.
In general, it turns out that the pneumonia epidemic turned out to be just a rumor spread by the media. However, experts do not exclude the possibility that the 2017 pneumonia epidemic may still begin.
