What is 'White Lung Syndrome'; It's Not From China

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What is the ‘White Lung Syndrome’?

There is no recognized medical term for white lung syndrome. A rise in children pneumonia cases in Ohio was given this name by some health experts.

The Warren County Health District declared earlier this week that, since August, 142 cases of juvenile pneumonia had been identified there.

As reported by NBC Boston, the name "white lung" originates from the way pneumonia appears on x-rays, which is a whitening of the lungs.

"Its not even pneumonia of unknown etiology, it's pneumonia of known etiology. It's pneumonia that we see during respiratory season," said Dr. Shira Doron, chief infection control officer for Tufts Medicine Health System.

Medical professionals in the United States believe that more effort should be put into determining the source and diagnosis of respiratory ailments, which are on the rise in China.

According to medical professionals, the Ohio rise and a few instances observed domestically don't point to the emergence of a novel pneumonia strain. Actually, a fever, exhaustion, and cough are typical symptoms of classic pneumonia.

"Now, different geographic regions within our state are starting to heat up a little bit more, [but] nowhere in our state are we seeing high levels of those respiratory infections," Doron stated.

However, doctors advise parents to continue taking extra safety measures in the meantime, such as washing their hands frequently, keeping sick children at home from school, and adhering to basic hygiene standards.