This text is a translation of an article from CTV News
Dr. Earl Rubin reports that he is seeing more children who need treatment for walking pneumonia at the Montreal Children’s Hospital.
“The disease is common in children and it is usually a less severe form of pneumonia,” said the director of the division of pediatric infectious diseases, “but more of them have a serious form of the disease.
The increase in cases of severe walking pneumonia at the Montreal Children’s Hospital mirrors what is being seen across Canada and the United States, Dr. Rubin said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca this week.
Doctors say Mycoplasma pneumonia, known informally as walking pneumonia, is common among school-aged children. “Contagious pneumonia caused by the bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae may require treatment for those with more severe symptoms, such as breathing problems,” they added.
Infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch said Canada is likely experiencing the same trends as the United States, with infections typically seen in the fall.
“There are likely to be more infections today than in previous years,” Dr. Bogoch, who works at Toronto General Hospital, said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca on Thursday. . “Certainly if the United States is reporting more cases, it’s likely that there will be more in Canada as well.”
Like other respiratory infections, mycoplasma infections and outbreaks are a clinical and public health problem in Canada.
New trends in walking pneumonia
Dr. Rubin says he and his colleagues, who work at other children’s hospitals across the country, have seen some trends in the disease, but some things are different this year.
“What’s happening now is we’re seeing the same spectrum of disease, but in younger children – infants, toddlers, which is unusual. It’s always happened, but not as well more frequently than today.”
Dr. Earl Rubin, infectious disease specialist.
“Cases are also more serious than before,” he added, “with some children requiring oxygen as part of their treatment.”
Additionally, children’s hospitals observe a number of different symptoms of the disease.
“We call him the great imitator,” he said. “It can cause a multitude of different symptoms: rashes, heart problems, brain problems. All of these symptoms are rare.
According to him, the reasons for the trends observed this year are uncertain.
National data is not tracked
Since pneumonia is not a reportable disease, it is not monitored in Canada.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) says it does not monitor this specific illness, but does monitor other respiratory illnesses in Canada and reports trends in the Surveillance and Detection System Report respiratory viruses, in the FluWatch+ surveillance program and in the COVID-19 epidemiological update.
“It is difficult to do tests,” said Mr. Rubin. The information about the trends he has observed is anecdotal, based on his discussions with his colleagues.
The emergence of more cases has led to a backlog of tests and delays in getting results, he said. According to experts, patients can be diagnosed by different methods, such as nose and throat swabs, blood tests, measuring oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood, a physical examination or an X-ray. lungs.
“Specialized polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are more commonly available in the hospital,” added Dr. Rubin.
Cases could decline as winter approaches
In the absence of national data, CTVNews.ca reached out to doctors at children’s hospitals to get some insight into what they’re seeing.
The number of cases of walking pneumonia has increased in recent months at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, Ont., but may decline as winter approaches, said disease expert Dr. Jeffrey Pernica pediatric infections.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, few cases have been identified at the hospital, but the situation changed in late spring, Dr. Pernica said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca on Monday.
He explained that there had been periodic mini-outbreaks of lung infection before lockdowns, masking and restrictions on human contact prevented infections.
Mr Pernica said he had seen more children hospitalized with the disease at the hospital this year. Cases began to increase in May and June, peaking in September.
Positivity rates are still above normal at the end of October, Pernica said.
Although the number of cases is exceptionally high, he expects the disease to decline, while respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza are expected to surge during the winter.
Cases elsewhere in Canada
“In Halifax, a large women’s and children’s hospital reported that it had also seen an increase in the number of cases of walking pneumonia. The number of cases increased from 11 last year to 113 in September,” an IWK Health spokesperson wrote in an email to CTVNews.ca on Tuesday.
“In Winnipeg, HSC Children’s Hospital is seeing a ‘significant increase’ in the number of pediatric patients in the emergency department with pneumonia this fall, but the type of pneumonia is unclear,” said Dr. Karen Gripp, director. emergency department, in an email sent to CTVNews.ca Monday, emphasizing that parents should not panic.
“Saskatchewan Health Authority emergency departments, including Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital, have not received any reports to date that the disease is widespread,” spokesperson James Winkel wrote in a email sent to CTVNews.ca Monday.
“The Ontario Ministry of Health does not publish data on walking pneumonia because it is not a reportable disease,” he said in an email to CTVNews.ca Tuesday.
Quebec’s Ministry of Health and Social Services is monitoring rising infections in some locations, but current data is not cause for concern, spokesperson Marie-Christine Patry said in an email to CTVNews.ca on Wednesday.
Likewise, the disease is not a reportable condition in the Northwest Territories and the territory has not received any reports about it so far, said Andrew Wind, a spokesperson for the Department of Health. Health and Social Services of the territory, in an email sent to CTVNews.ca Tuesday.
Symptoms of walking pneumonia
Mycoplasma pneumonia is often called “ambulatory pneumonia” because infected people can still function and move around, Pernica explained.
It can take up to a month for symptoms to appear, Dr. Rubin said.
It’s difficult to know if you have the disease if you don’t get tested because the symptoms are similar to the flu and other respiratory illnesses, such as a runny nose. , cough, difficulty breathing and headaches, Mr. Pernica added.
“The illness is not as severe as other types of bacterial pneumonia, such as streptococcal pneumonia,” Pernica said. “In fact, most people with walking pneumonia eventually recover on their own, without the need for doctors or treatment,” he added.
“People with acute pneumonia may need supplemental oxygen if they have breathing problems, or intravenous fluids if they are not able to drink enough,” he said. . “Most hospitalized patients need to be treated with antibiotics.”
Children with medical conditions, such as lung and heart disease, or who have problems with their immune systems, are more likely to have more severe symptoms and be hospitalized, doctors say.
According to the BC Center for Disease Control and BC Children’s Hospital, you may need medical attention if you have a prolonged fever, whitish or blue lips, are very sleepy, or have trouble waking up. A child younger than three months who has a fever may be more vulnerable, they add.
Treatment of walking pneumonia
If respiratory symptoms are not extreme, Pernica recommends staying home, not going to school or work, and limiting contact with others.
For many, there is no medication to help them recover faster.
“They need to make sure they drink enough fluids, rest and wait until they get better,” he added.
Is walking pneumonia contagious?
“Mycoplasma pneumonia is spread the same way as respiratory viruses: by coughing, by being close to other people and sharing air, or by touching objects with germs on your hands,” Mr. Pernica.
“While no vaccine can prevent illness, it is a good idea to get up-to-date vaccinations,” said Dr. Jason Wong, chief medical officer of the BCCDC, in an email to CTVNews.ca on Thursday.
“Vaccinations against respiratory viruses like influenza and COVID-19 can help reduce the risk of bacterial infections like those caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, which causes walking pneumonia,” Dr Wong said.
“If you must leave your home, it is best to wear a mask in indoor public spaces and cough and sneeze into your elbow,” he suggested.
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