Medical equipment inside the trauma bay photographed during simulation training at St.Michael's Hospital in Toronto on Tuesday, August 13, 2019. Doctors say they are seeing a spike in walking pneumonia cases in parts of Canada, particularly in kids, at a time when respiratory viruses including RSV, influenza and COVID-19 typically circulate more. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Tijana Martin
Doctors across Canada are noticing an unusual increase in cases of walking pneumonia, particularly among children. However, while they urge parents to stay informed, they emphasize there’s no need to panic, as effective treatments are available.
Walking pneumonia is a mild form of pneumonia that typically causes fever, cough, and fatigue. Most cases are manageable, but severe instances may lead to high fevers, difficulty breathing, and even the need for oxygen. At Montreal Children’s Hospital, Dr. Earl Rubin, head of infectious diseases, reports a surprising rise in cases among toddlers, a younger group than the usual school-aged children and young adults affected by the illness.
Rubin, who has observed this trend since the spring, suggests that the increase might be linked to weakened immunity following the COVID-19 pandemic. He notes that walking pneumonia, which is highly contagious and can spread to a third of people in the same household, has an incubation period of up to a month and currently has no vaccine.
In October, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted a similar rise in walking pneumonia cases, especially among young children, reaching a peak in late August. Although Canada’s public health agencies don’t track walking pneumonia cases systematically, healthcare providers in Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia are seeing increased numbers.
British Columbia Children’s Hospital has recorded more cases in its emergency department since August, while McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton began seeing a spike in walking pneumonia cases in May and June, which peaked in September. Dr. Jeffrey Pernica, an infectious disease expert there, believes these cases may decline as winter approaches.
In Toronto, Dr. Camille Lemieux from the University Health Network highlights the need for physicians to recognize this surge because walking pneumonia requires different treatment than typical pneumonia. Unlike standard pneumonia, which responds to antibiotics like amoxicillin, walking pneumonia is caused by a bacterium without a cell wall, rendering these antibiotics ineffective. Instead, doctors need to prescribe macrolides, a different class of antibiotics, to treat it.
Tests for walking pneumonia involve a nasal or throat swab, which is then analyzed in a lab. In Alberta, no noticeable increase in cases has been reported, though Dr. Warren Thirsk, an emergency physician in Edmonton, advises that patients should seek medical attention if symptoms persist beyond three weeks or include prolonged fever.
Despite the increase, doctors urge calm and suggest regular flu, COVID-19, and RSV vaccinations to strengthen immunity and reduce susceptibility to bacterial infections.
