Health experts urge students to wear masks as mycoplasma pneumoniae infection surges

Health experts suggest kindergartens request pupils to wear masks to school as the cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae have increased significantly recently, with some schools seeing outbreaks.

Speaking in a news program this morning, the co-chairman of the Medical Association's advisory committee on communicable diseases, Joseph Tsang Kay-yan, said there could be a chance the actual number of cases is being underestimated as the relevant authorities are not compulsory testing for mycoplasma pneumoniae infections.

He urged the kindergartens to begin preventive measures such as requesting students to wear masks to school to prevent them from getting severe complications from the infection.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the most common causes of community-acquired pneumonia. Although the infection usually causes mild illness, severe complications such as severe pneumonia, encephalitis, renal impairment, and hemolytic anemia may occur in some patients, especially elderly or immunocompromised persons.

Patrick Ip Pak-keung, a clinical associate professor at the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the University of Hong Kong, said the Mycoplasma pneumoniae cases had increased significantly to over 100 cases monthly since September.

He added that some patients were even infected with multiple viruses simultaneously, such as rhinovirus/enterovirus, parainfluenza, and adenovirus.

Ip said the immune systems of children have gotten weaker in recent years due to the Covid-19 pandemic as lack of exercise and their physique has worsened, which has caused complications from the Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection and increased their hospital stay duration.

He pointed out that Hong Kong is about to enter the peak of the winter flu season soon and is expected to see an increase in flu cases next month.