Irish Times First Irish outbreak of mycoplasma pneumoniae in a number of years occurred in October, Health Protection Surveillance Centre warns.
A bacterial infection implicated in a surge in respiratory illnesses in China is on the rise in the community in Ireland, authorities have confirmed.
An outbreak of mycoplasma pneumoniae notified to the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) last month was the first in “a number of years”, it said.
A recent spike in respiratory illness and clusters of pneumonia in children in China led to an official request from the World Health Organisation last week for more information. It has also stoked unpleasant memories of the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic in the same country in late 2019.
China says it has not detected any unusual or new diseases on this occasion and has attributed the rise in illnesses to Covid-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and mycoplasma pneumonia.