Health officials in Ohio and Massachusetts are warning about an increase in pneumonia cases among children — but experts say there isn’t a connection between this outbreak and the one happening in China.
In a press release Thursday, officials in Ohio’s Warren County (located between Cincinnati and Dayton) shared an update on the outbreak there, noting 145 cases have been reported in children aged 3 to 14 years old.
These cases of pediatric pneumonia — which some have referred to as “white lung syndrome” — most typically cause cough, fever and fatigue. Doctors say most cases of bacterial pneumonia can be treated with antibiotics and most don’t require hospitalization.
Officials also said the recent illnesses are “not suspected of being a new/novel respiratory virus,” but instead appear to be an uptick in the number of “typical pediatric pneumonia cases.”
“There has been zero evidence of this outbreak being connected to other outbreaks, either statewide, nationally or internationally,” the statement said.
www.cbsnews.com/news/ohio-white-lung-pneumonia-not-linked-to-china-outbreak-novel-pathogen-experts/