INDIANAPOLIS — The colder weather is coming, which usually means an uptick in viral infections, but officials said they’ve already been seeing pneumonia cases for months.
“We actually started to see the uptick over the summertime,” said Dr. Samina Bhumbra, the Medical Director of Infection Prevention at Riley Children’s Health.
WRTVIt’s a trend health officials have seen locally and nationwide.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said bacterial pneumonia cases are rising nationwide, particularly in children.
WRTVIn October, they reported a 1% to over 7% rise in 2 to 4-year-olds and from about 3% to over 7% in older children between 5 and 17-years-old.
Last month in Indianapolis, IU Health Urgent Care locations reported a 200% increase in cases from September.
WRTV“This season, we’ve been seeing what we call walking pneumonia. It’s caused by a bacteria known as mycoplasma pneumonia,” Dr. Bhumbra explained.
Experts said the infection usually starts with a cough, fever, or sore throat.