Walking pneumonia on the rise in parts of Canada, doctors say

Doctors say they are seeing a spike in walking pneumonia cases in parts of Canada, particularly in kids, at a time when respiratory viruses typically circulate.

Walking pneumonia is a mild form of pneumonia that often presents as a fever, cough or fatigue, but a small subset of severe cases can leave patients short of breath or with high fevers. 

Dr. Earl Rubin, director of the Infectious Disease Division at Montreal Children’s Hospital, says he’s noticed more cases in toddlers, which is younger than the typical school-age and young adult demographic the bacterial infection usually impacts. 

Although public health agencies don’t track walking pneumonia, health-care providers in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia say they’re seeing more cases.

Dr. Camille Lemieux, chief of family medicine at Toronto’s University Health Network, says physicians need to be aware of this increase – the first she’s observed in her 30 years of practice – because it requires a different antibiotic than regular pneumonia, and patients won’t get better without it.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported in October a rise in walking pneumonia across the U.S., especially in young children, over the last six months, peaking in late August.