HARRISBURG, Pa. — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says cases of walking pneumonia in kids are on the rise.
UPMC Children's Hospital in Harrisburg says they are seeing this first hand.
It's that time of year when kids come down with all sorts of illnesses. This year though, there is growing concern over a rise in mycoplasma pneumonia, a bacteria known to cause walking pneumonia.
"It is what we consider more a-typical bacteria, so it's not the normal bacteria that causes pneumonia," said Dr. Glenn Klucka with UPMC Children's Harrisburg.
Dr. Klucka says it's called walking pneumonia because most people walk around for a week with just mild symptoms before it gets worse, which in turn, helps it spread easily. Anyone can get it, but they are currently seeing it more in younger kids.
"We do see a lot of children with this, and actually, we're admitting a large number of kids much more than normal with this," he said.
The question is why are these cases spiking?
Experts say there isn't one clear reason why, but mycoplasma pneumonia rates do tend to spike every three to seven years as people lose their immunity to the virus.
Dr. Klucka says the increase in cases has caused him to adjust their treatment measures to match, saying even typical antibiotics that normally work for pneumonia, don't for this strain.
Monitoring your child's health can help. Symptoms of walking pneumonia include a dry cough, fever, sore throat and fatigue which Dr. Klucka says can last for weeks. Early detection and treatment can prevent severe complications.
"Keep a close eye on their kids and how they're breathing to see if they need further treatment," the doctor said.
And as always, he suggests keeping up with regular hand washing and wear a mask to help prevent the spread, if you do get sick.