Childhood Pneumonia Outbreak in Ohio and China: No New Pathogen Found

Health authorities attribute the outbreaks to common viruses and bacteria, with no links between the clusters in different regions.

An outbreak of pneumonia in children in Ohio is being monitored by health authorities, with 145 cases reported since August. The outbreak is not linked to similar clusters in China and parts of Europe.
The CDC is also monitoring increases in respiratory illness among children in the United States, attributing the increases to several viral or bacterial causes expected during the respiratory illness season.
The Ohio cases have not caused undue strain on the state’s health-care system and the overall respiratory virus trends are typical for this time of year.
Respiratory illness is spreading in most of the country, with CDC officials expecting levels of covid-19, influenza and RSV to continue to increase.
Outbreaks of respiratory illnesses in children in China are being attributed to common viruses and bacteria, not a new pathogen, according to international health authorities.