Respiratory Viruses and Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Surveillance Among Hospitalized Children with Acute Respiratory Infections - Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, September-November 2023

Ying Li; Yi Yan; Jiaming Huang; Yue Shi; Hui Du; Chao Xiong; Kai Chen; Di Liu; Xiaoxia Lu

doi:10.46234/ccdcw2024.027

Respiratory Viruses and Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Surveillance Among Hospitalized Children with Acute Respiratory Infections - Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, September-November 2023

China CDC Wkly. 2024 Feb 23;6(8):139-142. doi: 10.46234/ccdcw2024.027.

Authors

Ying Li^{1

2

3

4}, Yi Yan⁵, Jiaming Huang^{1

4

5}, Yue Shi^{1

5}, Hui Du^{2

3}, Chao Xiong⁶, Kai Chen⁶, Di Liu^{1

4

5}, Xiaoxia Lu^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Computational Virology Group, Center for Bacteria and Viruses Resources and Bioinformation, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.
² Department of Respiratory Medicine, Wuhan Children's Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.
³ Pediatric Respiratory Disease Laboratory, Institute of Maternal and Child Health, Wuhan Children's Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.
⁴ University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
⁵ CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Center for Biosafety Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.
⁶ Data Center, Wuhan Children's Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.

Abstract

What is already known about this topic?: Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are a significant contributor to illness and death in children. There has been a notable rise in the occurrence of ARIs and the associated pathogens in China, which has garnered worldwide attention.

What is added by this report?: This study conducted a retrospective analysis of the clinical characteristics of children with ARIs in Wuhan City from September to November 2023. The study evaluated the epidemiological patterns of common respiratory viruses and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP), revealing a continued prevalence of MP and a growing trend of influenza. Our findings emphasize that the circulation of respiratory viruses and MP has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, underscoring the importance of enhancing surveillance for respiratory pathogens.

What are the implications for public health practice?: The epidemiology of ARIs and the pathogens involved need to be emphasized. This highlights the importance of developing policies to protect children from respiratory pathogens such as MP, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus.

Keywords: COVID-19; Epidemiology; Mycoplasma pneumoniae; Respiratory viruses.

Copyright and License information: Editorial Office of CCDCW, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention 2024.

Grants and funding

Supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFC1603803), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31970548), the Knowledge Innovation Program of Wuhan Basic Research (2022020801010569), the Health Commission of Hubei Province (WJ 2021M262), and the Natural Science Fund of Hubei Province (2021CFA012, 2023AFB221)