Mysterious Pneumonia In Argentina Has Resulted In 3 Deaths, WHO Monitoring

It’s one thing to be described as “mysterious.” It’s something totally different to be described as having a “mysterious pneumonia.”

Tucuman, Argentina, is experiencing an outbreak of what can be considered right now a “mysterious pneumonia.” It’s mysterious because the cause of the 10 reported pneumonia cases so far remains unknown. You can add the word “deadly” to the words “mysterious pneumonia” too because this outbreak has already resulted in three deaths. Not surprisingly, this has gotten the attention of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which is the Regional Office for the Americas for the World Health Organization (WHO). The PAHO/WHO is now monitoring this outbreak to get a better handle on the who, what, when, where, and why about what’s going on in Argentina.

Here’s a tweet from PAHO/WHO calling this a “a cluster of cases of pneumonia due to unknown cause”:

Now, the words “mysterious pneumonia” or “pneumonia of unknown cause” aren’t sweet nothings that you whisper into someone’s ear after watching the rom-com movie I Want You Back. As I reported for Forbes back in January 2020, these were words used to describe what was being seen in Wuhan, China, not too long before something called the Covid-19 pandemic emerged. Before you start diagramming out your next toilet paper run on your whiteboard, though, keep in mind that “mysterious pneumonia” doesn’t automatically mean pandemic. It doesn’t automatically mean epidemic. It doesn’t even necessarily mean that whatever has been causing these pneumonia cases will spread much further. Nevertheless, any outbreak of mysterious pneumonia cases does merit immediate attention.

Not a lot is known about the 10 cases that have been reported so far. Otherwise, people would have been calling it something like “oh that pneumonia” or “pneumonia of you-know-darn-well-know what the cause is.” As a September 2 PAHO announcement described, “Preliminary testing has proven negative for the most common viral, bacterial and fungal agents. Samples have now been sent for further analysis.” This does leave open the possibility that more advanced testing at the National Administration of Laboratories and Health Institutes (which goes by the acronym ANLIS based on its Spanish name) in Argentina may reveal a clear pathogen. One possibility is the Legionella bacteria, which can cause a pneumonia in Legionellosis. Initial testing of samples did not find such a bacteria. But Legionella pneumophila sometimes can be a bit where’s Waldo-ish upon initial testing.

Now, unlike something specific like coffee maker fell off a horse on to my head, pneumonia is a very broad term. Lots of different things can cause pneumonia. The National Library of Medicine’s (NLM’s) Medline Plus defines pneumonia as “an infection in one or both of the lungs.” So being told that you have pneumonia can be like being told that your food has been on the bathroom floor. It’s clearly not a good thing but how bad it can be can vary substantially. This mysterious pneumonia has been leaving most people affected with bilateral pneumonia, meaning that its involved both lungs. Naturally, having both lungs affected tends to be worse than having just one lung affected. Rarely, should you say, “I really want more of my body to be infected,” unless you are talking about Bieber fever, This mysterious pneumonia has already proven that it can kill as well.

PAHO first heard of this outbreak on August 30 when the Ministry of Health of Argentina told them about six cases of bilateral pneumonia, five in health workers and one in a patient who was hospitalized in the intensive care unity at a private clinic in San Miguel de Tucumán in northwestern Argentina. They had started having symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, abdominal pain, and shortness of breath in the August 18 to 22 time frame. Five ended up being hospitalized with two eventually dying.

Then, on September 1, the Ministry of Public Health of Tucuman reported three more health care workers suffering from similar symptoms that started in the August 20 to 21 date range and similar pneumonias. Of these three, another person ended up dying.

Then on Friday, there was a report of yet another case, bringing the total reported cases to 10.

Of note, those affected by the outbreak have for the most part had some type of pre-existing medical condition before developing symptoms.

Again, it’s way too early to start using the “P” word. There is no indication to “panicdemic.” It’s not even clear how this pneumonia may be spreading, although bilateral pneumonias suggest that something is being inhaled. So for now, take a deep breath (as long as you are not close to someone who has such a pneumonia), and keep an eye on what’s happening with this outbreak.