Parents have been coughing up lots of questions about whether or not their child who has had a cough and fever for several days could be experiencing a walking or mild pneumonia.

Let me see if I can walk you through some information on this topic.

A pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. This means the air sacs in the lungs that enable us to bring oxygen into the body are now occupied not just by air but by germs and white blood cells to fight those germs.

Most pneumonias are caused by viruses that often infect our nose and throat causing a cold. When these germs, be it a virus or bacteria get into the lungs, your child might develop a high fever, bad cough, and even difficulty breathing.

If your child is still not severely sick with these symptoms such that they can walk around, we call it a walking or mild pneumonia. This is often caused by a type of bacteria called mycoplasma – a germ that has been increasing in its frequency for the past few years especially in school-age children and adolescents. It can be quite contagious when spread by coughing or sneezing.

–

Symptoms of walking pneumonia

–

A child with a mycoplasma or walking pneumonia will have:

¯ A runny nose and fever that is not improving after five days

¯ A cough that can last for more than two weeks

¯ Headache

¯ Sore throat

¯ Fatigue

¯ Poor appetite, and

¯ Sometimes trouble breathing and chest pain from coughing so much.

Your child’s health care professional can diagnose mycoplasma or other types of pneumonia by listening to your child’s chest and sometimes also getting a chest x-ray or a blood test.

If they believe the pneumonia is being caused by a bacterial germ such as mycoplasma, then they will prescribe a course of antibiotics. If they feel it is a viral infection (which can certainly be contagious), they may offer supportive care to help with the fever, breathing and hydration and follow your child closely to see if a hospitalization is warranted due to trouble breathing or dehydration.

–

Prevention tips

–

Of course, the best way to prevent any type of pneumonia from occurring is by having your entire family:

¯ Practice good handwashing

¯ Not share glasses, eating utensils or towels with others

¯ Cough or sneeze into a tissue, elbow or upper arm to prevent the spread of germs

¯ Be up to date on vaccines – this will also prevent some major causes for bacterial and viral pneumonias.

Hopefully, tips like these will allow you and your child to breathe more easily when it comes to knowing more about the possibility of pneumonia causing your child to be sick.

——

Lewis First, MD, is Chief of Pediatrics at the Golisano Children’s Hospital at UVM Health and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine. You can also catch “First with Kids” weekly on WOKO 98.9FM and MyNBC 5.