Britons were warned today that a wave of pneumonia that covers the lungs in white spots is about to hit UK shores.
Speaking to MailOnline, infectious disease experts urged health chiefs to remain “vigilant” over new cases of the disease and isolate them to avoid a major outbreak.
Bacterial infection, also known as “walking pneumonia”, is currently increasing worldwide and mainly affects children.
Nearly 6,000 cases have been reported in Japan so far this year, more than 10 times more than last year.
Meanwhile, in the United States, infections among young children have increased sevenfold since March and have doubled among older children.
The rapid spread is thought to be due to the fact that the initial symptoms are milder than other types of pneumonia (including cough and slight difficulty breathing), meaning sufferers spread it while “walking.”
However, for those who are vulnerable, including young children, it can trigger a number of complications, including life-threatening brain inflammation.
Experts say it is only a matter of time before a surge hits Britain.
‘White lung syndrome’ is diagnosed by white spots or opaque areas that appear in the lungs. The previous patient was a 57-year-old man in 2014.
Last year, the UK recorded its highest number of infections, medically known as mycoplasma pneumonia, in five years.
This is three times the level detected in the previous epidemic.
The global surge is thought to be partly due to the hangover from Covid lockdowns, when pandemic measures disrupted the spread of routine viruses and weakened immune systems within populations.
Dr Mike Beeton, an expert in medical microbiology at Cardiff Metropolitan University, told MailOnline: “We are likely to see a rise in cases in the UK over the winter months.”
He added: “Mycoplasma pneumoniae was largely absent in the UK, among many other countries, after Covid restrictions were implemented, but returned in autumn/winter 2023.
‘We should be attentive to the increase in infections in the coming months.
Meanwhile, Professor Paul Hunter, an infectious diseases expert at the University of East Anglia, said virologists remain unsure “what will happen this winter”, due to changes in immunity levels related to lockdown.
He told MailOnline: ‘LLast year saw particularly high levels of children with mycoplasma presenting to UK emergency departments.
The latest UKHSA data shows there were 2,592 confirmed cases of mycoplasma pneumonia in England and Wales between October 2023 and March 2024, seven times the level seen (364) in 2022/23.
Before this, infections last peaked in 2019/2020, but even then, the number of cases recorded in January 2024 was four times higher than the same period in 2020.
‘Unlike most years, high levels of infections continued well into the summer.
‘Normally I would have suggested that, because of last winter, I wouldn’t expect this winter to be so bad.
“But it’s harder to predict what will happen to infections after the pandemic.”
The latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows there were 2,592 confirmed cases of mycoplasma pneumonia in England and Wales between October 2023 and March 2024, seven times the level seen (364) in 2022/23 .
Prior to this, infections last peaked in 2019/2020. But the number of cases recorded in January 2024 was four times higher than that of the same period in 2020.
However, UKHSA officials noted that this may be partly due to an increase in PCR testing since the Covid pandemic.
But experts worry that cases go undetected and that the condition itself could linger in the body for days before also causing telltale symptoms.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it can take one to four weeks for a person to develop symptoms after being exposed to the Mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria.
In the United States, Alma Geddes, center, appears with her siblings while she remains in a Baltimore hospital where she was treated for Mycoplasma pneumonia.
Three-year-old Alma was one of several children that doctors at Greater Baltimore Medical Center have treated so far this year with pneumonia.
The bacteria can cause respiratory tract infections that can damage the lining of the throat, windpipe, and lungs.
Symptoms tend to be mild compared to other types of pneumonia and can be treated with antibiotics.
But for some, mycoplasma pneumonia can lead to serious illness, hospitalization and complications, such as a fatal brain inflammation called encephalitis.
Between 20 and 30 percent of mycoplasma pneumonia infections are also resistant to antibiotics, according to data published by the Japanese National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID).
Given the mild chest symptoms, many cases among adults are “not formally diagnosed” and instead treated at home, Professor Hunter said.
Children, however, “have had less time to develop partial immunity from previous infections, so are probably more susceptible to infection,” he told MailOnline.
“Pneumonia in children can also be more severe, possibly because their airways are smaller.”
Recent data released by Japanese health authorities also shows that 1,195 cases were reported between October 21 and 27 alone.
Representatives of the Japanese Respiratory Society and other medical associations have asked the public to wear masks to curb the outbreak.
People have also been urged to wash their hands thoroughly and ensure indoor spaces are ventilated, echoing measures instituted around the world during the pandemic.
It comes as Brits were told last week to prepare for a “quadrupledemia” amid a rise in norovirus cases.
Vomiting virus numbers have risen more than 40 per cent in just a fortnight, increasing pressure on the health service before the season reaches its peak.
Covid, RSV and flu will also hit in the coming weeks, even though they are currently circulating at low levels, health experts predict.