‘Walking pneumonia’ cases on the rise in North America

As evidenced by data from the U.S. CDC’s National Syndromic Surveillance Program, there have been notable increases in the incidence of cases of so-called ‘walking pneumonia’ among babies. Despite a higher prevalence of illness among school-aged children relative to other age groups, there has been a notable surge in the incidence of illness among infants, resulting in an approximate equality with the rate observed in older children. According to the latest data released by the CDC, 7.6% of all cases of pneumonia in infants aged 0-1 years old and children aged 5-17 years old resulted in a diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae during the period concluding on 2 November. CDC spokesperson Jasmine Reed has indicated that three regions are experiencing the highest levels of the bacteria. One is in the South, covering Texas and neighbouring states, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. The second is in the Midwest, spanning Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. The third is in the Northeast, including New York and New Jersey. Despite an observed rise in the number of patients requiring hospitalisation due to bacterial infections across a range of conditions, this represents a relatively modest increase, Dr. Jennifer Nayak, division chief of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Golisano Children’s Hospital in New York says.