Doctors in North Texas say they’ve seen a rise in walking pneumonia cases in recent months, particularly among young children, mirroring a nationwide trend.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported earlier this month that there has been an increase in respiratory tract infections caused by a bacteria called mycoplasma pneumoniae. Those infections have been on the rise since spring, and the number of cases seen in emergency departments peaked in late August, the CDC said. The infection rate has remained high into the fall.
Cases have been rising for all age groups, but the increase has been particularly notable among young children, which is unusual. Dr. Preeti Sharma — a pediatric pulmonologist at Children’s Health in Dallas — said that it’s more typical to see cases concentrated in school age children between the ages of 7 and 14.
“We’ve been seeing it in kids as young as 1- and 2-years-old which is very different than usual,” Sharma said.
Dr. Laura Romano — a pediatric hospitalist at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth — said it’s also unusual to see case numbers stay high for as long as they have. In a typical year, she said, hospitals would see walking pneumonia cases among adolescents rise in the summer and then start to trail off into the fall.
“This has been very surprising to all of us, the fact that they’ve stayed high and not gone down,” Romano said. “This has not gone away yet.”
Many people who develop an infection from mycoplasma pneumoniae will experience mild symptoms such as a cough, a sore throat and a fever, according to the CDC. Children under the age of 5 might have different symptoms than adults, potentially including diarrhea, vomiting and wheezing.
For some, though, the infection can become pneumonia. For people who develop pneumonia, it’s likely to be mild, which is why it’s referred to as “walking pneumonia.” However, some patients can also experience serious complications of the infection, which may require hospitalization.
Although infections from this bacteria are common, with an estimated 2 million cases in the U.S. every year, numbers around the world dropped significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the bacteria “began to re-emerge globally,” according to the CDC, ahead of this year’s spike.
Both Sharma and Romano said the case numbers were low during the pandemic because many people were masking, socially distancing and staying home if they felt sick. As the pandemic has loosened its grip on the country, many people have foregone masking and begun going into work or school even when they don’t feel well.
Getting treatment can also be complicated by the fact that walking pneumonia often presents similarly to other illnesses. Sharma’s 12-year-old daughter had a confirmed case of walking pneumonia this summer, she said. Her case was mild.
“The thing that took the longest was figuring out what it was,” Sharma said.
The CDC recommends that people seek medical care if they or their children have “persistent or worsening symptoms,” including wheezing, or if they or their children have trouble breathing.
Sharma added that other illnesses — such as the common cold — typically resolve in five to seven days; Parents should bring their children for medical care if the symptoms continue longer than that period, she said. She also said pneumonia typically causes a wet and persistent cough and, for children, can sometimes cause a rash as well.
Romano said that parents should bring their children into the emergency room if they have difficulty breathing, a persistent fever or dehydration. But for children who are stable, the pediatrician’s office should be the first stop.
“Our emergency rooms are starting to get really busy,” Romano said.
To prevent the spread of the bacteria — and to try to lower the number of walking pneumonia cases — Romano urged people to keep themselves and their children home if they’re sick or have been exposed. It may take nine or 10 days from exposure until symptoms appear. If people have to leave the house, she recommended masking, including while traveling.
The CDC also recommends regular handwashing and covering coughs and sneezes.
For more information on walking pneumonia and the bacteria that causes it, visit the CDC’s website at www.cdc.gov/mycoplasma.
