Walking pneumonia cases surge among children; All you need to know about the contagious infection
mycoplasma pneumonia are increasing across the U.S., particularly among young children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
According to an NPR report, Preeti Sharma, a pediatric pulmonologist at UT Southwestern and Children's Health in Dallas, has observed the rise firsthand. This condition, caused by the Mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria, initially appears as mild cold symptoms but progresses to a persistent, disruptive cough.
Sharma noticed the symptoms in her 12-year-old daughter, who came home with a runny nose, sneezing, and a sore throat, which progressed to a lingering cough. “She had a runny nose, some sneezing, a little bit of sore throat, and a little bit of kind of feeling fatigued, lower appetite,” Sharma said.
The CDC reports that cases started to rise in the spring and summer and have continued into the fall. Schools are significant points of transmission among children, who then bring it home.
Caleb Ward, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C., notes that mycoplasma pneumonia cases have increased tenfold this year. While many cases are mild, this condition often goes unrecognized as more than a common cold. Doctors mention that the infection typically affects kids and teens aged 5 to 17 but is now seen more in children aged 2 to 4.
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