A recent article in a national daily has asserted that AIIMS Delhi identified seven bacterial cases associated with the recent spike in pneumonia cases in China. The news report is inaccurate and conveys misleading information.

It is explicitly stated that these seven cases have no connection whatsoever to the recent upswing in respiratory infections among children reported in various parts of the world, including China. The discovery of these seven cases is part of an ongoing study at AIIMS Delhi conducted over the six-month period from April to September 2023 and does not pose a cause for concern.

From January 2023 to the present date, NO cases of Mycoplasma pneumonia were identified among the 611 samples tested at the Department of Microbiology, AIIMS Delhi, as part of the Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) multiple respiratory pathogen surveillance. This surveillance primarily focused on severe acute respiratory illness (SARI), comprising about 95% of the cases, conducted through real-time PCR.

Mycoplasma pneumonia is the most common bacterial cause of community-acquired pneumonia, contributing to nearly 15-30% of all such infections. No surge in cases has been reported from any part of India.

The Union Health Ministry is actively coordinating with state health authorities and is closely monitoring the situation on a daily basis.