That was an increase from 83 the prior week, according to the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL).
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This is a significant advance from the peak of the 2022 flu season, when the country recorded 58 cases of pneumonia in 100,000 children.
Cases are also rising among children aged four and under in the Netherlands, rising from 124 to 145, which is 100,000 in the same period.
Childhood pneumonia cases are surging in the Netherlands, a health agency in the country has reported. (iStock)
China has also noted an unexplained accumulation of cases of pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses in the formative years.
ProMED, the global virtual disease surveillance system, reported Monday that Chinese hospitals, most commonly in Beijing, were “overwhelmed with children in poor health” in the wake of the pneumonia outbreak.
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At a press conference on Nov. 13, officials from China’s National Health Commission blamed the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions as it is the first flu season since the country eased its strict lockdown measures.
The Chinese government also attributed the buildup to the spread of other infectious diseases, adding influenza, RSV, SARS-COV-2 and a bacterial infection called Mycoplasma pneumoniae, according to an article published on the World Health Organization (WHO) website.
During the week of 13-19 November, there were 103 cases of pneumonia in 100,000 children aged five to 14 in the Netherlands. (iStock)
On Nov. 22, the WHO said it had requested “additional epidemiological and clinical information” from China, as well as laboratory effects from affected children.
“We have also requested further information about recent trends in the circulation of known pathogens, including influenza, SARS-CoV-2, RSV and mycoplasma pneumoniae, and the current burden on health care systems,” the agency said in its statement.
“They were locked down for all of 2022, and when you release the lockdown, all of the upper respiratory viruses — RSV, influenza, COVID — came roaring back.”
“WHO is also in contact with clinicians and scientists through our existing technical partnerships and networks in China.”
To reduce the risk of spreading respiratory illness, WHO recommends that people in affected areas stay up to date with vaccinations, maintain distance from people who are ill, stay home when sick, seek medical care as needed, wear masks as appropriate and wash hands regularly.
Dr. Marc Siegel, a clinical professor of medicine at New York University Langone Medical Center and a medical contributor to Fox News, gave the impression Tuesday on “Fox Medicine. “
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While the doctor said he was a bit skeptical about China and the WHO’s claims that “everything is fine,” he said he also believes it may simply be the same phenomenon the U. S. experienced last year, which he calls an “immune pause. “
Children and their parents wait in an outpatient area of a children’s hospital in Beijing, Nov. 23, 2023. The World Health Organization has asked China for more knowledge about a respiratory disease spreading in the north of the country, urging people to take action in the face of the threat of infection. (Getty Images)
“They’ve been in lockdown for all of 2022, and when the lockdown is loosened, all the respiratory viruses (RSV, flu, COVID) come back with a vengeance,” Siegel said.
Another potential issue is that China is seeing an uptick in the mycoplasma bug.
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“They flood this bacteria with a Z-Pac, and when you give a Z-Pac to too many people, you get resistant mycoplasma and you can end up in the hospital,” he said.
“So I think a mix of all of those things is our answer here. “
For others in high-risk groups, including those 65 and older, Siegel recommends getting vaccinated against pneumococcus, as well as RSV and influenza.
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Edward Liu, M.D., infectious diseases section chief at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, noted that historically, RSV and flu have caused respiratory infections during the winter season.
“Sudden surges in respiratory infections could be explained by RSV and flu,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Last year was bad for RSV affecting young people in the U. S. U. S. “
“Sudden outbreaks of respiratory infections can be explained simply by RSV and the flu,” one doctor told Fox News Digital. “Last year was bad for RSV that affected young people in the United States. “(iStock)
“I think other people are concerned about the emergence of new respiratory infections, even in other countries, because we have discovered how temporarily a respiratory virus can spread internationally,” Liu continued. “No one needs another pandemic. “
The doctor added that new infections will be easily detectable through advertising lab tests.
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“Also, some hospitals don’t have the newer, more advanced respiratory virus testing to pick up common respiratory pathogens,” Liu noted.
“It makes sense for the WHO and/or CDC to help China and the Netherlands fix the cause of these respiratory infections. “
For more health articles, www. foxnews. com/health.
Melissa Rudy is a fitness editor and member of the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital.