These Masks are Made for Walking...Pneumonia

Mycoplasma pneumonia infections are on the rise in children in parts of the world, but the typically mild illness is sending them to the hospital.

Forbes reports,

"Typically, mycoplasma pneumonia doesn't require hospitalization. However, young children with a nascent immune system may be at greater risk of developing more serious disease. . . . 80% of new patients are children under the age of five. . . . Bacterial infections . . . are usually opportunistic, in that they take advantage of an immune system that has been weakened by a virus."

Then they take a bit of a both sides stance explaining that the WHO points to immunity gap, but Forbes clarifies that "experts have long expressed skepticism about whether there is a generalized immunity debt." It's frustrating that's even discussed as a possibility anymore. But at least they finish strong:

"Measures such as masking, ventilating, washing hand, avoiding close contact with others and staying home when sick are recommended to prevent the spread of mycoplasma, but also the viruses that can lead to mycoplasma."  

Financial Times did a better job at pointing out that,

"'Immunity debt' is a misguided and dangerous concept . . . mistakenly suggests 'that immunity is something we need to invest in, and that by protecting ourselves from infection we are building up a deficit that has ultimately to be repaid. This would not be a good message for public health: we would still have open sewers and be drinking from water contaminated with cholera if this idea were followed to its logical conclusion." 

At least it has made it to mainstream news in the UK, clear as day, that Covid harms the immune system enough to make other common viruses more deadly and more deadly viruses more common. 

"Beijing has told the World Health Organisation that the increase in cases of people with flue like symptoms is down to a new winter bug that has taken over due to Covid lowering immunity to common viruses. Hospitals are reportedly 'overwhelmed with sick children'. . . .  Children are now showing ground glass opacity, also known as 'white lung syndrome', in lung scans"

China originally took a brutal lockdown strategy to prevent Covid spreading, then lifted restrictions in December after huge protests started last November because "the threat the dissenters could pose to the regime's stability was seen as more politically risky than allowing the virus to spread unchecked" but others suggests "it had run out of money to pay testing companies and security firms to enforce restrictions" and then focused on "improving elderly vaccination rate," which doesn't do much to keep kids safe from infection. 

Clearly an all or nothing approach won't work, but vaccinations and ventilation aren't enough on their own and aren't being implemented enough. We don't need to hide in our homes. We just need people to wear well-fitting masks in all public buildings and transportation, particularly healthcare facilities and schools.