CLEVELAND — Northeast Ohio pediatricians are seeing several different types of pneumonia cases, including bacterial, viral, and atypical, the latter of which would refer to "walking" pneumonia.
Those are the predominant cases being seen in clinics.
"Walking pneumonia can be different things," explained Dr. Camille Sabella, pediatric infectious disease specialist for Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital. "It's usually not your standard bacterial pneumonia. Walking pneumonia is usually caused by something called mycoplasma pneumonia, but it can also be very similar to viral pneumonias as well."
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Sabella says they're not sure what's causing the rise in cases. Changes in the weather, kids being back in school, and lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic — where mycoplasma was not circulating — could all be to blame.
Typically symptoms of walking pneumonia are mild, but can become severe. They usually include the following:
- Dry cough
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Sore throat
The type of treatment prescribed is determined by the type of pneumonia diagnosed. Sabella says there is an effective pediatric pneumonia vaccine available, and he encourages parents to get their children vaccinated against bacterial pneumonia and influenza, which can actually cause pneumonia.
Unfortunately, there is no vaccine specifically for "walking pneumonia."
"We start vaccinating against that early in life, and that works very well," Sabella told 3News. "But because the pneumococcal bacteria has so many different strains, we can't protect against every strain with the vaccine that's currently available."
In addition to those vaccines, Sabella advises getting your child vaccinated for COVID and immunized for RSV. Also, it's important for parents and grandparents to be aware that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just lowered its guidelines for the pneumonia vaccine for adults from age 65 to 50. This is a one-and-done shot, and protects against pneumonia, meningitis, and other serious illnesses.