The relatively large number of pneumonias in the Netherlands since last autumn does not have one clearly identifiable cause. Most likely, several viruses and bacteria are responsible for the increase, according to laboratory research by the RIVM.
Between October last year and January this year, the institute examined a total of 132 samples taken from the nose and throat of patients. There were many more children and young people among them than in previous years.
In the samples, the researchers found a lot of RS virus in the youngest children. That is a known culprit that can cause pneumonia. The bacterium Haemophilus influenza was also frequently detected, both in young children and the elderly.
Slightly older children and young adults relatively often carried the bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae. This has also caused an increase in the number of pneumonias in other European countries and in China.
The increase appears to have already passed its peak. Although the number of infections was relatively high, it did not cause a large increase in hospital admissions. Most patients could simply recover at home, with or without the help of antibiotics.
2024-02-07 15:26:37
#viruses #bacteria #pneumonias #NU.nl
