Health
China’s Children Battling Pneumonia Shows the Dangers of Drug Resistance
- The once mild disease caused prolonged illness in children
- Global threat stems from rise of superbugs and novel pathogens
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The harm caused by antibiotic drug resistance was clear to see in China’s packed pediatric hospitals.
An outbreak of walking pneumonia, normally a mild infection, struck millions of children in the second half of 2023, creating Covid flashbacks and raising fears about another novel pathogen. But doctors say another real danger is the rise of superbugs, crafted by drug resistance that’s been building for years and rendering life-saving antibiotics less effective.