PORTLAND (WGME) – Doctors in Maine and around the country say they’re seeing a rise in “walking pneumonia” cases, especially in young children.
Nationwide, the number of two-to-four-year-olds diagnosed after visiting the ER for a pneumonia-related illness jumped from 1 percent to 7 percent over six months.
Symptoms include sore throat, extreme fatigue, chest pain, low-grade fever and headache.
Doctors say some cases can be severe, but in many cases, people can have walking pneumonia and not even know it.
“You may have these symptoms for some time and a lot of the times, they’ll just resolve on their own,” MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland Emergency Medicine Vice Chair of Clinical Operations Dr. Samir Haydar said. “There are some instances where atypical pneumonia can develop and progress and definitely need a medical provider, a lot of times, these will resolve on their own.”
Doctors say if you’re not sure if you or your child has walking pneumonia or something else, you can get tested to get the right treatment.
Doctors also say walking pneumonia can develop from viruses like the flu, COVID or measles, so vaccinating against those viruses can reduce risk of getting walking pneumonia.
