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Walking pneumonia 'not something to be alarmed with', says expert

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Passengers ride the EDSA Bus Carousel from the Roosevelt station in Quezon City on April 25, 2023. " src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/news/05/03/20230425-edsa-carousel-mask-mandate-md-2.jpg"/><figcaption>Passengers ride the EDSA Bus Carousel from the Roosevelt station in Quezon City on April 25, 2023.</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA — Mycoplasma pneumoniae or &quot;walking pneumonia&quot; should not be a cause for panic, an infectious disease expert said on Thursday. The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday said 4 cases of walking pneumonia were detected among influenza-like illnesses (ILI) as of Nov. 25. The cases have all <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/07/23/walking-pneumonia-cases-in-ph-already-recovered-doh" target="_blank">recovered</a>, the agency later said. &quot;This is not something to be alarmed with. Hindi tayo mag-panic. Itong mga organism na ito, walking pneumonia, influenza, this has been in our setting for the past several years,&quot; said Philippine College of Physicians president Dr. Rontgene Solante. &quot;Nagkakataon lang ngayon na medyo gumaganda na ang surveillance at naa-identify na natin itong mga mikrobyo na ito. Pangalawa, this is the season where...we can really see a lot of these respiratory illnesses,&quot; he told TeleRadyo Serbisyo. Symptoms of walking pneumonia include around 7 to 10 days of coughs, runny nose, and sore throat. Patients seldom have fever and rarely need antibiotics, Solante said. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/04/23/doh-reminds-public-not-to-overuse-antibiotics-during-flu-season">DOH reminds public not to overuse antibiotics during flu season</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/11/23/23/who-misuse-of-antibiotics-undermining-efficacy">WHO: Misuse of antibiotics undermining efficacy</a></li></ul>&quot;Kaya nga ang tawag nito is &#x27;walking pneumonia&#x27;, because most of the time, hindi nila alam na meron silang pneumonia o ganitong klaseng infection because hindi apektado yung buong katawan na hindi na sila makagalaw or nahirapan sila makahinga,&quot; he said. He added that walking pneumonia has a long incubation period and could take around 2 to 3 weeks before symptoms show. &quot;In fact, majority of those who have mycoplasma pneumoniae do not have symptoms. Bihira lang yung magkasintomas, and when you have symptoms, it&#x27;s usually mild,&quot; Solante said. <figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2894846" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>The expert said the illness is also called atypical pneumonia because &quot;unlike the most common causes of pneumonia... this one, a lot of times they recover, hindi sila tumutuloy sa pagkaospital.&quot; But Solante also acknowledged that &quot;in some very rare instances,&quot; walking pneumonia could lead to severe symptoms among younger children and the immunocompromised. It is also &quot;easily transmitted&quot; through coughing, he said. &quot;Halimbawa ngayon, wala tayong mga face mask, madali tayong makapitan nito at saka talagang mataas ang rate na puwedeng mag-outbreak sa ganitong mga klaseng mikrobyo,&quot; Solante warned. But he noted that COVID-19 had a &quot;higher risk for more complication&quot; compared to walking pneumonia. &quot;Ang mahirap, lahat ng inuubo, hindi mo talaga malaman kung anong mikrobyo &#x27;yan unless you do the test... Hindi natin ina-advise for the purpose of just telling you na mayroon kang walking pneumonia dahil medyo mahal ang testing nito kasi it requires highly technical tests,&quot; he said. It&#x27;s also possible for COVID and walking pneumonia to hit at the same time, Solante said. &quot;Mayroong mga ganoong cases nang na-report. Ang tawag natin d&#x27;yan co-infection with COVID and walking pneumonia. Ang nakikita ng iba, &#x27;pag dalawa ang mikrobyo, usually ang magpe-prevail n&#x27;yan, ang magiging severe is the COVID, especially &#x27;pag ang natamaan is the vulnerable population,&quot; he said. He said patients experiencing symptoms should rest at home and mask up. &quot;Pero if you are in the age group 70 to 80 years old, lahat ng mga pneumonia talaga d&#x27;yan kailangan makonsulta sa doktor para hindi lumala,&quot; he said. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/02/23/magsuot-pa-rin-ng-mask-doh-alerts-public-vs-walking-pneumonia">‘Magsuot pa rin ng mask’: DOH alerts public vs walking pneumonia</a></li></ul>

Mycoplasma pneumoniae or 'walking pneumonia' should not be a cause for panic, an infectious disease expert said on Thursday. 