Walking pneumonia is spreading in Kansas City among kids and teens. What to know
Walking pneumonia surged in Kansas City this fall — and the spike isn’t over yet.
This disease is an informal name for a more mild form of pneumonia. The illness causes cold-like symptoms and most often infects school-age children and teenagers, although babies and toddlers have seen growing rates of infection nationwide over the past few months.
“We are continuing to see an uptick in Mycoplasma infections, which is one of the more common bacteria that cause walking pneumonia,” said Dr. Jennifer Schuster, an infectious diseases physician at Children’s Mercy, via email.
“We are seeing it both in the hospital and hearing from our community pediatricians that there continue to be more cases.”
Here’s what to know about the disease circulating in Kansas City and nationwide.
What is walking pneumonia?
Walking pneumonia is the name given to a more mild form of pneumonia — but that doesn’t mean it always presents mild symptoms. Infected people often experience persistent coughing, fever, sore throat, runny nose, headaches, and ear and chest pain.
This contagious, airborne disease is spread easily through droplets, and often spreads between children at school who then bring it home to their families.
The disease is most often caused by bacteria, at times requiring antibiotics to cure. It can also stem from viruses or mold spores. In these latter cases, antibiotics aren’t effective, and the disease generally has to go away on its own.
How prevalent is walking pneumonia in Kansas City and nationwide?
Children’s Mercy Hospital has observed a surge of walking pneumonia cases during the 2024 respiratory illness season.
According to the hospital’s infectious disease tracker, 16 cases of pneumonia caused by the Mycoplasma bacteria were recorded in the hospital during the week ending Monday, Nov. 18. Schuster said this is in line with recent weeks’ totals.
“We have had probably 15-25 positives/ week in the last month or so,” she wrote. “Usually we would only have a few (if that, often none) per week.”
Walking pneumonia usually doesn’t require bed rest or hospitalization. However, emergency rooms across the country are seeing an uptick in visits from walking pneumonia patients.
As of Saturday, Nov. 2, the nationwide rate of pneumonia-related ER visits caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae — a bacteria that can cause walking pneumonia — was 2.8%. That’s the highest it’s been in the past year.
For certain age groups, the percentage is much higher: Babies under 1 year old and children ages 5 to 17 years old both had a M. pneumoniae bacteria rate of 7.6%, while children aged 2 to 4 had a rate of 7%.
In order to avoid catching or spreading this disease, encourage children and teens to wash their hands thoroughly and stay home when they feel sick. Covering your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze can also help prevent the spread of this and other respiratory infections.
Do you have more questions about staying healthy in Kansas City? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
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