“Walking Pneumonia” Cases Are Spiking- Especially Among Kids-Here’s What To Know
According to the CDC, cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections are spiking all over the United States, especially in young children presently.
Dr. Preeti Sharma, a pediatric lung health specialist, knows that well. As an associate professor at UT Southwestern and Children’s Health in Dallas – not to say mom of two – she was right in the middle of it when her 12-year-old daughter came home late last month with what felt like a common summer cold.
Sharma recalls having a runny nose, sneezing, throat congestion, general malaise, and loss of appetite.
Next came the cough. “She said we saw it grow into this persistent, deep, irritating cough.”
Moreover, she treated her daughter for a bacterial infection called Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Those cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, went up during specially spring and summer and have continued into fall too. Sharma says it has jumped significantly in Dallas since kids headed back to school.
“Kids spread it in schools and are likely to bring it home to their mom and dad and family members too,” Sharma explains.
The symptoms of Mycoplasma pneumonia usually begin with signs of an upper respiratory infection; but some children also present with red eyes or a rash. Headaches are common.
Caleb Ward is a pediatric emergency medicine doctor at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. He says he has seen a nearly tenfold increase in cases of Mycoplasma pneumonia this year. He said the good news is most are usually not severe-hence the term “walking pneumonia.”
“Ward says, “in the old days, somebody would go to school or go to work with what they thought was a light cold, and it turned out they had Mycoplasma pneumonia.”
Cases have also climbed in New York City. Dr. Adam Ratner, of the division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at NYU and Hassenfeld Children’s Hospital, pointed out that though anyone of any age can be affected, the highest rates of infection are among children and adolescents aged 5 to 17.
Ratner says this year’s surge has changed that. While the predominant age it strikes is still an older child, cases among toddlers are increasing. A member of the Infectious Diseases Committee for the American Academy of Pediatrics, Ratner says the pattern does continue across the nation with what they are seeing in their area.
In that respect, Sharma, Ward, and Ratner are in agreement that most children can recover at home with hydration, appropriate fever reducers, and rest. Honey may help to treat cough in children over the age of one.
According to Dr. Preeti Sharma, most cases are usually curable with the use of antibiotics, provided the proper type of antibiotic medication is prescribed. She said one should remember that amoxicillin, prescribed to kids for other forms of pneumonia, just won’t fight Mycoplasma pneumonia. Instead, a macrolide antibiotic such as azithromycin is indicated appropriate for the proper treatment.
In general, it is okay to return to school once a child has not had a fever in 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine and otherwise appears physically well. It is reassuring to realize, however, that cough and runny nose can linger for weeks and that children may still be spreading the bacteria. Outbreaks due to Mycoplasma pneumonia last longer in part because people remain infectious longer.
What’s more, this just reminds people to emphasize hand hygiene and, at times, to remind people to cover their coughs and sneezes, which is something that needs to be done in both children and adults too. Because respiratory diseases during cold seasons are common, such measures are important in controlling the spread and consequences of Mycoplasma pneumonia and other respiratory infections.
