Recently, there have been multiple cases of Mycoplasma pneumonia in children, which has attracted widespread attention from society. Especially some parents are concerned that their children may be infected with Mycoplasma pneumonia. Once their children experience symptoms such as fever and cough, parents rush to seek medical attention at specialized hospitals or tertiary hospitals. So, what is mycoplasma pneumonia? What are its characteristics? How to prevent it? In response to these public concerns, a reporter from Workers' Daily interviewed Quan Meiying, Deputy Chief Physician of Pediatrics at Beijing Union Medical College Hospital, to provide you with a detailed explanation of the hot topics related to Mycoplasma pneumonia in children. Q: What is Mycoplasma Pneumonia? What are its characteristics? Answer: Mycoplasma pneumonia is pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a pathogenic microorganism that is different from bacteria and viruses, and can cause lung infections, leading to Mycoplasma pneumonia. Its symptoms include fever, dry cough, and wet rales can be heard during lung auscultation. From the age of the patient, it is more common to be over 5 years old in school, but there are also children under 5 years old who suffer from the disease. From a clinical perspective, the physical manifestations and imaging features of Mycoplasma pneumoniae are not particularly parallel. Sometimes, typical wet rales of pneumonia may not be heard during auscultation, but there are more manifestations on chest X-ray or CT imaging than pneumonia. The symptoms of Mycoplasma infection may vary greatly among individuals. Some people may have no symptoms after infection, and may have a slight sore throat. Drinking more water is enough. Some people may experience symptoms such as fever and cough, as well as mild, severe, or even critically ill conditions. The severity of these symptoms is not only related to the invasion of pathogens, but also to their own immune response. Q: What have been the changes in the number of recent cases of Mycoplasma pneumonia received? Answer: Autumn and winter are inherently high incidence seasons for respiratory infections. After autumn, we have seen an increasing number of pediatric cases of Mycoplasma pneumonia in our outpatient and emergency departments. Recently, there have been quite a few children who have fallen ill. In the past three years, the public has done a relatively good job in protecting against respiratory diseases such as wearing masks, and children have fewer opportunities to go out or come into contact with pathogens, resulting in fewer corresponding antibodies in the human body. This is also known as the "immune debt". At the same time, there is a relatively large outbreak of Mycoplasma pneumoniae every three to five years. Therefore, the infection rate in the population will also be higher in the near future. Q: How to detect Mycoplasma infection? Answer: Mycoplasma antibody testing is actually not a particularly good early diagnostic indicator. Because the production of Mycoplasma antibodies usually takes about a week, at the beginning of a fever, the antibody test is negative, and it may take a few days or about a week to appear positive. Mycoplasma infection is also detected through nucleic acid testing. By collecting nasopharyngeal swabs to detect DNA and RAN, it is relatively possible to diagnose it earlier. Q: What is the possibility of a child being infected with Mycoplasma? Answer: Parents should pay attention to their child's condition in a timely manner, but it is not necessary for the child to come to the hospital immediately after an hour or two of fever. If a child under the age of 1 has a fever, it is necessary to seek medical attention in a timely manner. For older children, such as school-age children, if there are general symptoms such as mental state at the beginning of a fever, it is recommended to first treat the fever according to the symptoms and continue observation. Firstly, observe the effect of reducing fever after medication; Secondly, observe for other symptoms such as difficulty breathing, difficulty breathing, and mental fatigue. If