Walking pneumonia: Is this year’s surge unusual? [Video]

Hospitals are reporting that walking pneumonia infections in children are surging across the country, raising questions about whether they’re peaking and whether the trend is unusual this year.

CTVNews.ca spoke with various medical experts to find out the latest situation with the typically mild walking pneumonia in their area and whether parents should be worried.

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Why are cases rising?

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) doesn’t officially monitor Mycoplasma pneumonia, whose non-medical term is walking pneumonia, but it said the Canadian Public Health Laboratory Network is watching out for any “unusual” activity involving the disease. The contagious pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria is common in young adults and school-age children, though it can affect anyone, it said.

More cases have been reported in Ontario’s Hamilton area this year compared to previous years, including before the pandemic, though most infections are mild, according to …