The CDC says cases of walking pneumonia among children are rising rapidly. Here’s what you need to know

It’s cold and flu season, so it’s no surprise that there was a rise in respiratory illnesses, especially among vulnerable populations. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cases of walking pneumonia in children are increasing.

IN report published on October 18, the agency said the number of cases of mycoplasma pneumonia, also called walking pneumonia, began to increase in late spring and remained high. The agency further warns that preschool children have been hit hardest by this increase.

The incidence of two- to four-year-old children who were admitted to the emergency room for pneumonia and tested positive for mycoplasma increased sevenfold from 1% in April 2024 to 7.2% in early October. The number of cases in older children also doubled over the identical period, from 3.6% to 7.4%. The CDC said Mycoplasma cases peaked in mid-August but remain high.

According to Cleveland ClinicWalking pneumonia will likely be a gentle lung infection or a gentle form of pneumonia attributable to bacteria, viruses or mold. Symptoms include sore throat, sneezing, persistent cough, headache and mild chills accompanied by a low-grade fever. Treatment includes antibiotics and over-the-counter medications; However, the CDC warns that antibiotics used to treat pneumonia, comparable to penicillin, is probably not effective.

The condition got its name because, despite pneumonia, many individuals affected by it often feel well enough to find a way to “walk” and lead a standard, on a regular basis life.

According to Mayo ClinicWalking pneumonia is understood to resolve by itself or with medical intervention inside 4 to six weeks. However, if not monitored properly, it might grow to be a more serious form of pneumonia in some cases.

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The CDC noted that stopping walking pneumonia is analogous to stopping all respiratory illnesses, including washing hands commonly and covering coughs and sneezes.

This was confirmed by Dr. Caleb Ward, a physician working at Children’s Hospital in Washington NPR he noticed a rise within the number of inhabitants in his city.

He also said that a health care provider must be called “if parents or guardians notice that their child is having trouble respiration, is not drinking enough fluids to stay hydrated, seems sleepier than usual, or if she or he stays sick – especially with a fever – for greater than five days, they must be assessed by a health care skilled.”

As for the cause of the sudden increase in cases, some healthcare providers suspect that COVID-19 and RSV have simply been getting the eye during cold and flu times over the past 4 years.

said Dr. Geoffrey Weinberg, a pediatric infectious disease specialist on the University of Rochester Medical Center CNN“It seems very dramatic now, but more because almost everything else got worse during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the actual nationwide rates are quite similar to those prior to 2019.”

He added: “Sometimes you just have a bad year and you don’t notice it for a while. Now we have more of it.”