Child Pneumonia Map as Illness Reported in Multiple States

An outbreak of respiratory illnesses causing cases of pneumonia among children has been declared by one health district in Ohio, while there are reports of an uptick in the condition in western Massachusetts—though officials said the cases were linked to seasonal infections.

Warren County Health District said, as of Thursday, there were 145 cases of pediatric pneumonia among children aged 3 to 14. This was above average for the county—located to the northeast of Cincinnati—and constituted an outbreak under the Ohio Department of Health's definition.

"While the number of cases is higher this year, the severity is similar to previous years," it said. "It is not uncommon for respiratory illnesses to spread in the community during this time of year."

It comes as there are concerns about an outbreak in cases of pneumonia among children in northern China. A lack of information shared by health officials in the country with the international community has fueled fears that another novel virus was behind the clusters.

Chinese officials, the World Health Organization—which has since received information on the outbreak—and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said the cases were being caused by already understood diseases, including Influenza and COVID-19. The Chinese National Health Commission attributed the rises to a lifting of pandemic restrictions and lowered immunity.

Health officials in Warren County said that there was "zero evidence of this outbreak being connected to other outbreaks, either statewide, nationally or internationally." The cases of pneumonia were not thought to be caused by a new or novel respiratory virus. There have been no reported deaths, and county officials said most cases were recovering at home and being treated with antibiotics.

A spokesperson for Warren County Health District told Newsweek that there had been "a small number of hospitalizations, some with underlying health conditions, but we are not sure what prompted their admissions."

Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs with varying degrees of severity, and can be caused by a number of bacterial or viral infections. Symptoms include a dry cough, chest pain and difficulty breathing.

Warren County Health District said there was no definitive common cause of the cases that had been found. Those who had recovered were found to have been infected with known pathogens such as Mycoplasma pneumoniae—a bacterial infection that predominantly affects children and the elderly; Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacteria that as many as 60 percent of school-aged children carry; and adenoviruses, which can cause a cold.

Many of the seasonal infections being reported in the U.S. behind cases of pneumonia are ones blamed for the clusters in China. Respiratory illness tends to increase through the winter because the cold leads to an increased spread of viruses and other infections, thanks to lower immunity levels.

At the same time, Western Mass News reported on Wednesday that pediatricians in western Massachusetts were seeing more cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This causes cold-like symptoms, with some children being diagnosed with "walking pneumonia"—a mild form of the condition.

"The thinking with RSV is that it can cause lower viral respiratory infections, so they get spread to your lungs," Dr. John Kelley, of Redwood Pediatrics in East Longmeadow, a suburb of Springfield, told the outlet. He said that around 80 percent of the walking pneumonia cases he had seen were as a result of RSV.

What Is 'White Lung Pneumonia'?

It has been reported that there are cases of what is colloquially known as "white lung syndrome" in both the U.S. and China. However, health officials in both countries have not confirmed any such cases, nor has there been any evidence of instances of pneumonia in children being as severe.

"White lung syndrome" refers to acute respiratory distress syndrome. This is characterized as a filling of the lung's sacs with enough fluid to prevent the adequate exchange of gases, and cases usually require ventilation. The moniker derives from the appearance of lungs as white in X-ray scans due to the concentration of liquid.

The Warren County Health District said it did not collect information pertaining to the severity of the cases of pneumonia or acute respiratory distress.

There have been no official reports of children with pneumonia in the U.S. requiring ventilation. Warren County Health District said on Wednesday that recent data suggested the most common symptoms being exhibited were a cough, fever and fatigue.

Update 12/01/23, 10:10 a.m. ET: This article was updated with comment from a Warren County Health District spokesperson.