Respiratory virus next after COVID-19 virus = South Korea

With the arrival of winter in full swing, the number of patients suffering from respiratory infections such as influenza, mycoplasma pneumonia, and whooping cough is increasing. In response, the South Korean government announced on the morning of the 8th that the Central Office for COVID-19 Virus Infection
It was decided that the headquarters would hold a regular meeting to try to understand the situation and would hold weekly meetings to take action. Chung Tong-nyeong, head of the situation management team at the Central Accident Control Headquarters, said that Kwang-hwa
At a meeting held at the Seoul government building in Gwanghwamun, he said, ``In preparation for the increase in patients with respiratory infections in the winter, we will work closely with related ministries and agencies, led by the Disease Control Agency.''
Influenza cases began to increase in September last year, and the epidemic advisory has not been lifted for more than a year. The number of outpatients in the first week of December was 48.6 per 1,000 people.
This is an increase compared to last year (12.7 people). As of December 2, there are 198 patients with pertussis, a respiratory disease caused by infection with the pertussis bacterium. Mainly prevalent in summer and autumn
However, this year the number has been on the rise since October. Although the number of infected people has been decreasing for two consecutive weeks recently, the number of infected people is still occurring mainly among children under 12 years old, and there are no signs that the epidemic will subside.
The number of mycoplasma pneumonia patients in the first week of December was 249. This is 46% of the level in 2019 before the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus infection, but in the most recent month
.4 times increase. The situation is unpredictable, especially in children between the ages of 1 and 12. However, the proportion of hospitalized patients is approximately 5%, and most patients receive outpatient treatment.
Eun Byeong-wook, research director of the Korean Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases (professor of pediatrics and adolescents at Eulji University Hospital), said, ``It's similar to traditional virus outbreaks such as influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus.
The phase has completely changed in the last two to three years due to the COVID-19 virus infection. Over the past two to three years, breathing
Children who were almost never infected with the virus are becoming infected. There is a high possibility that the virus will spread among children who are not immune to respiratory viruses."
In addition, the recent outbreak of mycoplasma pneumonia has been found to be resistant to antibiotics, and the sense of crisis in the field is increasing considerably. this
Regarding this, Yang Hyun-jeong, general director of the Korean Society of Pediatric Allergy and Respirology (professor at Sooncheonhyang University Seoul Hospital), said, ``The definition of antibiotic resistance refers to first-line drugs that we generally prescribe in outpatient settings.
means resistance to drugs. "It does not imply resistance to second-line drugs."