Fever and cough, beware! We have entered the peak period! Official emergency reminder

The National Health Commission held a press conference on November 13, inviting relevant experts to introduce the relevant situation of prevention and control of respiratory diseases in winter in my country.

Mi Feng, spokesperson of the National Health Commission, said that as winter arrives in various places, respiratory diseases have entered the peak season, and multiple respiratory diseases are intertwined and superimposed. We must insist on the prevention and treatment of multiple diseases, pay close attention to the prevalence of Mycoplasma pneumoniae, new coronavirus infection, influenza, dengue fever, norovirus infection, etc., strengthen monitoring and early warning, and grasp changes in the intensity of virus activity, virus mutations, etc.

Mi Feng said that it is necessary to strengthen infectious disease monitoring and health management in key areas and key places such as rural areas, schools, and nursing homes, do a good job in follow-up of key groups such as elderly patients with underlying diseases and children, and optimize vaccination services; it is necessary to coordinate medical resources, optimize diagnosis and treatment processes, strengthen outpatient, pediatric, respiratory and other departments, and do a good job in various medical treatments; it is necessary to continue to advocate a civilized, healthy, green and environmentally friendly lifestyle, and maintain good personal hygiene habits.

Will respiratory diseases increase this year? Experts respond

Many people feel that after the COVID-19 pandemic, there seem to be more respiratory infectious diseases around them, such as influenza A, mycoplasma pneumonia, mononucleosis, etc. How should we view this issue?

Tong Zhaohui, director of the Beijing Institute of Respiratory Diseases, responded that winter is the peak season for respiratory infections every year. Common Mycoplasma pneumoniae, respiratory viruses, and especially influenza viruses are more active than in summer or spring, leading to a significant increase in the number of infected people. The characteristics of these diseases are the same as in previous years, and the prognosis is good, so there is no need to worry.

my country's National Influenza Center monitors influenza activity in real time. Current monitoring data shows that my country has entered the influenza season this year. At present, influenza A is the main prevalence, and there is also influenza B. Mononucleosis is also a common disease in children and adolescents. It is mainly caused by Epstein-Barr virus or cytomegalovirus. The disease is self-limiting and the incidence rate has not increased compared with previous years.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence of acute respiratory diseases including mycoplasma and influenza has indeed decreased due to the adoption of strict respiratory prevention and control measures. With the normalization of prevention and control, it is normal for these diseases to return to the pre-epidemic incidence level this year, so everyone feels that there has been an increase in respiratory diseases this year.

In the past three years, the infection rate of mycoplasma has been monitored worldwide at a low level. Combined with the fact that mycoplasma pneumonia has its own epidemic pattern, it has a periodic epidemic every 3-7 years. Therefore, mycoplasma pneumonia in children is on the rise this year, and everyone should pay attention to it. Personal protection is the key to prevention.

This year, Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is showing a trend of younger age

Tong Zhaohui introduced that Mycoplasma pneumonia is the most important pathogen of community-acquired pneumonia in children aged 5 years and above in China. It is prevalent in autumn and winter in the northern region and generally in summer and autumn in the southern region. Regional periodic epidemics will occur in children every three to seven years, and its main clinical manifestations are fever and cough .

At the onset, the disease presents as severe, paroxysmal, irritating dry cough, which may be accompanied by headache, runny nose, sore throat, ear pain, etc.

Compared with previous years, children under 3 years old have also been infected in this year's epidemic, showing a trend of younger age, but the condition has not been significantly aggravated.

Most children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection have mild symptoms

Wang Quan, chief physician at Beijing Children's Hospital, said at the meeting that children are a high-risk group for Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, especially children aged 5 and above, but children under 5 years old, including infants, can also become ill.

The incubation period of mycoplasma infection is relatively long, usually 1-4 weeks, with an average of about 3 weeks.

The severity of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection varies clinically, but the vast majority of children have mild symptoms, especially a considerable number of children who mainly suffer from upper respiratory tract infections. Not all Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections will cause pneumonia, and only a very small number of children may develop severe symptoms.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection can indeed cause some complications inside and outside the lungs. In the lungs, it may cause plastic bronchitis, pleural effusion or necrotizing pneumonia. Outside the lungs, it may affect the nervous system, urinary system, blood system, including the circulatory system, etc. It may also cause skin and mucous membrane damage or arthritis.

How should the public use medication for treatment after the etiology is confirmed?

Recently, many people on the Internet have said that their entire family has been infected with Mycoplasma pneumonia. Some people also believe that many adults are actually infected with the new coronavirus.

In this regard, Tong Zhaohui said that Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the common pathogens of respiratory tract infections. According to the 2016 edition of the "Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Adults in China" and relevant monitoring data, Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the important pathogens of community-acquired pneumonia in China. It is highly prevalent in autumn every year, and children and adolescents are susceptible. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is mainly transmitted through respiratory droplets. Therefore, in the absence of protection, it will cause concentrated outbreaks in densely populated places such as kindergartens and schools. It is also common for family members to be infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Acute respiratory tract infection is a common respiratory disease. The symptoms caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, new coronavirus, influenza virus, etc. are similar, which can be clarified by antigen and nucleic acid detection methods. It is recommended that everyone use medication after confirming the etiology, rather than relying on guesswork and taking medication indiscriminately.

It is not advisable for parents to give their children drugs such as azithromycin on their own!

Recently, some parents of children with the disease have followed online advice and given their children drugs such as azithromycin on their own. Wang Quan said that it is not advisable for parents to give their children drugs such as azithromycin on their own.

It is currently the peak season for children's respiratory diseases. Although Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection accounts for a large proportion, overall, viruses are still the most common pathogens of children's respiratory infections. Common viruses include adenovirus, rhinovirus, influenza virus, parainfluenza virus, human metapneumovirus, etc. However, azithromycin is ineffective and unreasonable for viral infections. In addition, children are young and their organ functions are not fully developed. Drug abuse may cause adverse reactions in children. Azithromycin is a prescription drug and belongs to the macrolide antibiotic class. It is the first choice for Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. It should be used in accordance with regulations under the guidance of a physician or pharmacist, including appropriate dosage, appropriate course of treatment, and correct route of administration.

Parents should be reminded that children are not smaller versions of adults, and medication cannot be used casually. Parents should pay attention to its safety and effectiveness.

If your child has a fever for more than three days, it is recommended to seek medical attention immediately

Wang Quan emphasized that when the following situations occur, you must go to the hospital while at home.

First of all, the child has a very high fever or a fever that lasts for more than three days, or has a continuous and frequent cough, which affects his normal life.

Secondly, the child is in poor spirits and may even become drowsy, or have an obviously increased respiratory rate, difficulty breathing, wheezing, headache, etc.

Thirdly, some children may also experience convulsions, or even frequent vomiting, rashes, etc. Doctors recommend that parents take their children to see a doctor in time.

Influenza in my country continues to rise

Wang Dayan, director of the National Influenza Center of the Institute of Viral Diseases of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that the winter and spring influenza epidemic season in various parts of my country usually lasts from mid-to-late October to mid-to-early March of the following year, and generally reaches its peak around January. Recent national influenza monitoring data show that influenza activity in southern and northern provinces in my country continues to rise, with southern provinces higher than northern provinces, and all regions are gradually entering the winter and spring influenza epidemic season. The prevalent influenza viruses are mainly influenza A H3N2 subtypes, followed by influenza B Victoria strain viruses.

Influenza vaccination is an effective means to prevent influenza and reduce influenza-related severe illness and death. The state has made clear requirements for strengthening influenza vaccination, and guided all localities to actively provide influenza vaccination services in accordance with the principle of informed consent, and continuously improve the quality of influenza vaccination services by increasing service hours and making appointments at different times. Focus on vaccinating medical staff, elderly people aged 60 and above, patients with chronic diseases, high-risk groups and employees in places where people gather, such as nursing homes, long-term care institutions, welfare homes, children aged 6 months to 5 years, family members and caregivers of infants under 6 months old, and key places such as childcare institutions, primary and secondary schools, and supervision places, as well as high-risk groups. According to relevant information, the production and supply of vaccines this year has increased compared to last year, which can meet the demand for vaccination.

The overall COVID-19 epidemic in my country shows a fluctuating downward trend

Wang Dayan said that the overall COVID-19 epidemic in my country has been fluctuating downward recently. From late August this year to now, the number of reported COVID-19 cases nationwide has been declining for 10 consecutive weeks, and the positive rate of COVID-19 nucleic acid tests in outpatient sentinel hospitals across the country has also been showing a continuous downward trend.

Global and domestic monitoring data show that the new coronavirus variants currently prevalent in the world and my country all belong to the Omicron variant. The sequencing results of the viruses sampled in the latest week show that they are all sub-branches of XBB, and no variants with significant changes in biological characteristics have been found. The country is still conducting systematic multi-channel monitoring of the new coronavirus, and the data is regularly published on the website of the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

How to scientifically prevent respiratory diseases in daily life?

Wang Dayan introduced that winter and spring are the peak seasons for respiratory infectious diseases such as influenza. The most effective and economical way to prevent infectious diseases is vaccination. Flu vaccination can effectively reduce the risk of infection, disease and severe illness. In addition, the public can reduce the risk of infection and transmission by mastering the basic knowledge of common respiratory infectious diseases and taking scientific prevention methods in daily life.

First, a healthy lifestyle is an important guarantee for improving physical fitness and immunity. In daily life, we should maintain adequate sleep, adequate nutrition, and appropriate physical exercise.

Second, develop good personal hygiene habits to reduce the risk of infection. For example, when coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, towel or elbow; pay attention to hand hygiene and wash your hands frequently, especially after coughing or sneezing; try to avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Third, keep your home and workplace clean. Open windows regularly for ventilation. In winter, when the outdoor temperature is low, keep warm during ventilation. If there is a patient with respiratory infection at home, wear a mask when caring for the patient.

Fourth, high-risk groups such as the elderly, children, and patients with underlying diseases should try to avoid crowded public places, especially closed places with poor air circulation, to reduce the chance of contact with sick people. When going to closed and crowded places or taking public transportation, it is recommended to wear a mask and change it in time.

Finally, it is important to remind you that once you have fever, cough or other respiratory infection symptoms, you should stay at home to avoid spreading the pathogen to other people. If the symptoms are severe, you should take personal protection measures and go to the hospital as soon as possible to get effective treatment in time.

Source/People's Daily Online Science and Technology Comprehensive China News Service, China News Network, CCTV News Client, Beijing Daily Client

Editor-in-charge: Song Wenzhen Editor of this issue: Li Huibo