Pediatric pneumonia cases are on the rise. Here’s what parents should know

Bacterial pneumonia cases are on the rise in young children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Pneumonia, a common lung infection, can be caused by multiple sources, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. However, the CDC says cases caused by the bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae has been increasing in the last six months “since late spring and have remained high” and has been impacting children in particular.
More cases caused by M. pneumoniae in younger children are especially “notable,” the CDC said in an Oct. 18 notice. According to the CDC, cases have risen from about 1% to over 7% in 2 to 4-year-olds and from about 3% to over 7% in older children between 5 and 17 years old.
“No parent should panic because of this news. It really should be informative so that they know what to look out for,” said Dr. Jade Cobern, a pediatrician and member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
According to the CDC, cases of M. pneumoniae infections appear the most often in children between 5 and 17 and young adults.
M. pneumoniae can cause damage to the respiratory tract lining, including the throat, trachea, and lungs.
Symptoms of M. pneumoniae infection resemble that of a chest cold and can include fever, cough, and a sore throat but in some cases, can also lead to what’s known as “walking pneumonia,” where the symptoms appear mild.
With kids under 5, M. pneumoniae infections can cause different symptoms than the chest cold symptoms older kids and adults may experience. They include:

“Any kid younger than 5 are also prone to what we call nonspecific symptoms that may easily mimic other types of infections and will be different than what we see in that older population,” Cobern explained. “In this younger age group, it can be common for these kids to have really generalized symptoms that may not involve the respiratory tract at all.”
If someone has a serious case, they may require hospitalization. Symptoms of more serious infections include worsening asthma, new development of asthma, severe pneumonia or encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).
“This type of infection can have a very slow onset and symptoms can last longer than what we see in other types of pneumonia. And so, if kids are having symptoms that really just aren’t getting better, if they’re having any difficulty breathing, they need to be seen right away,” Cobern said.
Other types of pneumonia may have simlar to slightly different symptoms from pneumonia cases cased by M. pneumoniae. They include:

An M. pneumoniae infection can be contagious. When a sick person coughs or sneezes, bacteria in the respiratory droplets can be exhaled and someone else can inhale the bacteria.
Some people with M. pneumoniae infections can recover on their own and over-the-counter medications may provide relief from symptoms.
Others, though, may require medications, such as certain antibiotics called macrolides.
M. pneumonia is naturally resistant to some antibiotics that are commonly used to treat other types of bacterial pneumonia.
The CDC recommends practicing good hygiene to prevent bacterial pneumonia infections, including washing hands and covering coughs and sneezes.