Now it’s Pneumonia?!

Medically reviewed by Sankaran Krishnan, MD

A surge in pediatric pneumonia cases connected to the bacteria mycoplasma pneumoniae has been reported in China, Denmark, France and the Netherlands. In the U.S., a similar increase in cases has hit portions of the Midwest.

While this might bring back memories of the initial phases of COVID-19, infectious disease experts stress that this doesn't signify the beginning of another nationwide pandemic. In fact, this is evidence of a cyclical trend, as mycoplasma infections tend to cause pneumonia outbreaks every one to three years.

Here’s what you need to know about the recent wave of pneumonia cases:

• Walking pneumonia variants: Dubbed “walking pneumonia,” the infection typically causes mild symptoms, but some countries are seeing an increase in more serious cases.
• Immunity debt among children: Amid COVID-19 lockdowns, children were protected from typical infections, resulting in what scientists term an “immunity debt” and potentially paving the way for more severe infections.
• No connection to “white lung” syndrome: Some U.S. news outlets have reported on a "white lung" pneumonia syndrome in Ohio's Warren County, suggesting a link to the Chinese pneumonia outbreak. However, medical experts assert that "white lung" syndrome, indicated by its appearance on X-rays, is unrelated to the situation in China. “White lung" syndrome is not a novel pathogen — it’s treatable with antibiotics and the majority of patients do not end up in the hospital.
• Pattern of pneumonia cases among children: The weekly percentage of emergency department visits among children aged 0 to 4 years with diagnosed pneumonia shows a pattern consistent with previous years. Slight increases are noted for children aged 5 to 17 years, but they remain in alignment with pre-pandemic levels.
• Respiratory illness season factors: These increases are likely attributed to the viruses and bacteria typically present during the respiratory illness season.