AKRON, Ohio — You better have a good set of lungs to keep up with 3-year-old Mia, but that wasn’t the case two month ago.

What You Need To Know

  • There has been an uptick in walking pneumonia in 2 to 5 year olds in 2024

  • Walking pneumonia is caused by a different bacteria from pneumonia and has fewer antibiotics to treat it

  • Labored breathing is a symptom that differentiates it from a common cold

“She’s in preschool, and they let us know walking pneumonia was going around the classroom,” said her mom, Stephanie Moore.

Two weeks later, Mia starting coughing.

“She couldn’t finish trick-or-treating, and that’s when I figured it was more than just a cough and a cold,” Moore said.

Walking pneumonia is typically not seen in children under the age of 5 but has seen a rise in 2 to 5 years olds this year, according to Dr. Eric Robinette, infectious disease physician at Akron Children’s Hospital.

Several symptoms of walking pneumonia can initially be confused with the common cold, but it isn’t simply a less severe form of pneumonia.

“In general, it’s less severe than other types of pneumonia, but we certainly see patients that are sick enough to be in the hospital,” Robinette said.

Walking pneumonia is caused by a different bacteria from pneumonia and has fewer antibiotics to treat it.

“It can affect your ability to exchange gases, making it difficult for you to breathe — breathing quickly or having labored breathing, high fevers and a gnarly cough. It doesn’t tend to be dangerous but terribly annoying,” he said.

He suggests seeing a doctor if symptoms are not improving or getting worse after three to five days.

Mia has asthma and Moore said she was thought it was flaring up but a nasal swab test was positive for walking pneumonia. Mia was given a Z-pak, a common five-day course of antibiotics.

Moore said Mia perked back up after five day and was able to run around. She still has a lingering cough six weeks later, but Moore said Mia attends pre-school and it may simply be just another cold.