The CDC is raising the alarm about a rise in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and mycoplasma pneumonia—aka “walking pneumonia”—and this time, it’s hitting young children the hardest. Cases are spiking in toddlers and even infants, translating to more fevers and yet another round of doctor visits for weary parents. But, honestly? The experts saw this coming from a mile away.
So, what’s going on? On October 18, the CDC announced that walking pneumonia cases have spiked, particularly among kids aged 2 to 4. Since March, cases have climbed steadily, with a big leap in August. For preschoolers, the rate of walking pneumonia diagnoses jumped from a modest 1% to a whopping 7%. Older kids (ages 5 to 17) saw a rise too.
RSV has been making its rounds earlier ever since COVID-19 restrictions lifted, exposing kids to infections they missed out on while everyone was hunkered down at home. Dr. Larry Kociolek from Northwestern Medicine explains that these babies missed RSV exposure during the pandemic, and now they’re catching up on the usual infections – a timing shift that brings RSV into action sooner.
During COVID lockdowns, babies and toddlers didn’t catch many of the usual bugs, so their immune systems didn’t get the practice they typically would. Now, with fewer precautions, kids are encountering all these germs at once. Walking pneumonia, in particular, spreads easily through coughs and sneezes, so toddlers who haven’t built up immunity are catching it, especially from older siblings.
But don’t panic! RSV usually just causes mild cold symptoms in older kids, and vaccines are available for pregnant women to protect their babies. For walking pneumonia, antibiotics help quickly, and kids are often still “walking around” even with symptoms. So, while it’s no fun, it’s manageable – just be ready to visit the doctor if that cough won’t quit.
