Walking pneumonia: symptoms, cure, and prevention

People have been on alert after cases of walking pneumonia have been confirmed in the Philippines.

According to the Department of Health, there are a total of four cases in the Philippine from January 2023 to November 2023, and all have recovered.

A Need to Know video further broke down the reported cases, saying the first walking pneumonia case in the country was detected in January 2023. The second in July 2023, while the 3rd and the 4th case of walking pneumonia were detected in September 2023. 

Walking pneumonia is a type of influenza-like illness caused the mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria. 

And while it is common among children aged 5-15, anybody can get sick with it. Symptoms include difficulty in breathing, high fever, and a tight chest.

According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms appear some two-three weeks after getting infected, and may last for a few more weeks with a cough lasting for up to a few months. 

"Walking pneumonia is an informal term of a common bacterial condition," it said, adding it is contagious and can "spread through airborne droplets from close contact."

In the Need to Know video, DOH USEC Enrique Tayag said people with walking pneumonia often don't know they have the illness because they are still able to go to work, attend school, and function normally. "Pero kapag Pina-examine yung x-ray, 'okay may pneumonia ka'," he was quoted as saying.

While there are medicines to treat walking pneumonia, Dr. Rontgene Solante said there is no "need to treat them. Often they recover and after 7-10 days, they can go back to work. And symptoms disappear?'

So how do you prevent walking pneumonia?

Continue with the good hygiene practices we've come to develop during COVID-19: wash hands often, cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing, and wear a mask if you're not feeling 100%.

The DOH clarifies there is no outbreak of walking pneumonia in the Philippines. It is not a new illness and neither does it come from a new virus. — LA, GMA Integrated News