Although seasonal diseases such as influenza Just starting to gain a little bit, there’s a respiratory disease that’s sickening tons of people in the United States right now: walking pneumonia.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published an alert last month warning people about the rise in cases of ambulatory pneumonia. Infection, which is caused by bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniaeit affects the lining of the respiratory tract, including the throat, trachea, and lungs. Symptoms, including coughing and wheezing, are usually milder than other lung infections, so people tend not to stay at home in bed, hence the nickname walking pneumonia.

“The biggest takeaway is that mycoplasma infections are generally mild and resolve without antibiotics,” said Dr. Zachary Hoya board-certified pediatric infectious disease specialist at Pediatrix Medical Group in Nashville.

Here’s what’s happening with the explosion of cases of ambulatory pneumonia:

Hoy has seen an increase in cases of ambulatory pneumonia at his practice in Tennessee. His patients — most of whom are children 5 and older — have come in with general malaise, along with a persistent cough, congestion and occasionally a low-grade fever.

Infections are usually mild, but their symptoms last for weeks. “Usually these symptoms go on for several days without change or improvement,” he said.

Dr. Allen J. Dozerpediatric pulmonologist at New York Medical College, said he treats people with walking pneumonia every year, but the cases were recorded earlier than usual this season.

He first noticed the increase in activity in August and continues to see patients week after week. “We always see growth every fall and this year is no exception, although our growth started early. Two weeks after school starts, my phone rings disconnected.”

Although walking pneumonia occurs mostly in young children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 17, the disease can affect people of all ages. Since late spring, the positive test rate has risen from 0.7 percent to 3.3 percent for all age groups, according to CDC.

“Although we are witnessing a wave of infection with mycoplasma pneumoniaemost infections are mild,” said Dr. Wassim M. Ballanchief of infectious diseases at Phoenix Children’s.

The CDC suspects that the increased prevalence is a direct result of the immunity gap that occurred after the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the pandemic, protective measures such as face masks and social distancing have slowed the spread of many infectious diseases, including walking pneumonia. But “once the mask mandates were dropped and we went back to pre-pandemic practices, we started to see an increase in respiratory pathogens that were almost non-existent in the early part of the pandemic,” Ballan said.

In 2023, pneumonia has re-emerged, triggering a wave of infections around the world, According to the CDC.

At the same time, our testing methods have improved in recent years, allowing doctors to detect more cases.

“There are better ways to diagnose M. pneumoniae infections with new diagnostic PCR swabs that can identify cases in 2024 that would not be detected by testing before 2020,” Hoy said.

There may be other factors at play. For example, Dozor said climate change is associated with an increase in respiratory infections and air pollution makes children more susceptible to respiratory problems such as pneumonia.

The bacteria are spread through respiratory droplets that an infected person expels into the air when they cough or sneeze. If other people inhale those droplets, they can become infected.

Conformable CDCpeople who spend a short amount of time around a person with walking pneumonia usually do not get infected. But if you live or work with someone who is sick, there is a greater chance of contracting the disease.

It can take one to four weeks for the bacteria to incubate in your body. So “you could be exposed to someone with mycoplasma and not get sick until four weeks later,” Hoy said.

The best way to avoid getting sick? Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer. High-quality face masks absolutely work, Dozor said. But this type of pneumonia is quite contagious, so unfortunately no method is 100% effective.

Most people with walking pneumonia have mild symptoms and recover without antibiotics.

“Symptoms most often get worse in just a few days, settle down over a few days, and resolve over another few days,” Dozor said. As a general rule, the cough should stop within two weeks, he added.

If symptoms persist or worsen, see a healthcare provider. They may run tests and prescribe an antibiotic, such as azithromycin, to speed your recovery. This is especially helpful for people who are immunocompromised or have underlying lung conditions, such as asthma, cystic fibrosis or COPD, because they are at greater risk of developing more severe disease, Dozor said.

Finally, you’ll want to cover your coughs and sneezes with your arm to avoid spreading the bacteria to others. Isolating at home, at least in the early days of infection, when you’re probably most contagious, can also reduce transmission.

“The best way to slow the spread, reduce the spread and protect vulnerable children and adults is to keep them home if they have a fever or even if they are coughing or sneezing significantly,” Dozor said.