Importance of hygiene: Whytehouse Education Group director Catherine Fong (right) applying hand sanitiser on kindergarten pupils’ hands in Bayan Baru. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
Young children at greater risk of mycoplasma pneumonia, say experts
GEORGE TOWN: Health experts warn that only prompt treatment can stop damage to the respiratory tract in severe cases caused by mycoplasma pneumonia, with reports of the illness on the rise, especially among young children, due to the year-end holidays.
Universiti Sains Malaysia family medicine specialist Dr Mastura Mohd Sopian said 40% of those who catch this bacterial “flu” tend to be young children and that most are mild cases that can be treated with the correct antibiotics.
“However, in severe cases, it can cause respiratory distress as well as anaemia, heart failure and shock.
“General practitioners should advise parents to seek further medical assistance if the symptoms worsen,” she said.
Dr Mastura said most children with symptoms of respiratory infections end up being proven to have mycoplasma pneumonia through serology tests.
Paediatrician Datuk Dr Siti Khadijah Tun Hamdan said although mycoplasma pneumonia has always been around, she believes that the reported rise in cases was due to more tests being done to detect it.
“Mycoplasma pneumonia is highly contagious and its symptoms are not specific, so someone might even be walking around with it without symptoms.
“Often when diagnosed, X-ray imaging on the chest reveals its severity.
“Those with symptoms like having a flu for over a week, should seek further medical attention.
“Mycoplasma pneumonia can last for weeks if the immunity of a patient is low, hence proper treatment is crucial to cure and stop the spread,” she said.
Whytehouse Education Group founder and executive director Jery Yeoh said a spike in children getting sick during the holiday season was usual, but this should never be taken lightly.
“Sometimes, those with higher immunity are just carriers of diseases and may not necessarily fall ill,” said Yeoh, who operates four kindergartens in Penang.
“We rely a lot on feedback from parents, such as their travel history or diagnosis from doctors.”
He added that sanitisation proedures introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic were still in place as they had proven effective.
“Sometimes, the challenge is that parents would send their children who seem to be healthy, but their symptoms only appear while they are in school.
“We would then have to isolate the children and have them put on a face mask until their parents pick them up,” said Yeoh.
Penang health committee chairman Daniel Gooi confirmed that Penang has seen an increase in mycoplasma pneumonia with most cases being mild.
“Yes, we do have such cases in Penang. However, not all of them are diagnosed or admitted, and not all diagnoses are lab-confirmed.
“Many are treated as outpatient cases based on clinical diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia,” he said.
Gooi said the infection, which causes symptoms such as dry cough, fever and mild shortness of breath on exertion are common among children, especially school-going kids.
“The bacteria can be transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets and close contact.
“Common prevention methods are the usual practices for respiratory illness such as practising proper cough etiquette and avoiding crowded areas,” Gooi added.
Mycoplasma pneumonia is caused by the bacteria mycoplasma pneumoniae (M pneumoniae) that is typically spread through close contact or respiratory droplets, leading to symptoms ranging from mild cough to severe pneumonia, among others.
Recently, cases related to mycoplasma bacteria, particularly respiratory infections, have been reported to be increasing in some places, due to seasonal factors or outbreaks in close-contact settings.
