A rare disease sweeping America… Extremely dangerous and targeting children
U.S. authorities have revealed an increasing number of cases of a relatively rare but highly dangerous disease, specifically affecting children, with rates on the rise following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States have released two reports indicating that “following the relaxation of pandemic restrictions, cases of brain abscesses in children under 18 have risen to new and unusual levels.”
The CDC has warned of these brain abscesses, which typically follow infections of the respiratory system, including “COVID-19,” influenza, or sinusitis, emphasizing the importance of vaccinating children.
Brain abscesses are relatively rare but extremely dangerous infections in the brain caused by bacteria or fungi entering the brain, usually through the bloodstream from an infection in another part of the body, such as pneumonia, or through infections in the head, such as ear and dental infections or sinusitis.
These abscesses can exert pressure on the surrounding brain tissues and can also disrupt blood flow, and in severe cases, they can be fatal, according to the scientific journal “ScienceAlert.”
The journal cited a warning from epidemiologist Emma Acorci of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who stated that the United States recorded 34 cases per month from 2016 to 2019, based on hospital treatment data. Then, in December 2022, there was a peak with 102 cases reported nationwide.
Cases of brain abscesses in children are recognized as acute complications of viral respiratory system infections. After the relaxation of pandemic restrictions in 2022, respiratory viruses (influenza and respiratory syncytial virus) increased, joining “COVID-19” in a phenomenon referred to as the “triple pandemic.”
Following that record peak of 102 cases in December of the previous year, cases of brain abscesses in children began to decline, but they remained higher than the original baseline of 61 cases per month until March 2023.
Researchers, led by Jessica Penny from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggested that there might be a link between the increase in brain abscess cases and the removal of mask mandates in that situation in February 2022.
