Walking pneumonia rates drop, flu and RSV are back [Video]

Following a sharp rise, cases of walking pneumonia across Canada, particularly among children, seem to be dropping.

But doctors are now warning families about flu and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

Dr. Kristin Weerdenburg, a pediatric emergency physician at Halifax’s IWK Health Centre, says she’s diagnosed more walking pneumonia cases in the past six months than she has in her more than 15-year career.

But over the past month, Weerdenburg has noticed fewer cases of walking pneumonia — called mycoplasma pneumoniae — and she’s seeing more children coming to the emergency room with flu or RSV. 

Dr. Jesse Papenburg, a pediatric infectious disease specialist and medical microbiologist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, says he’s seeing the same thing. 

Just as the walking pneumonia outbreak tapers off, Papenburg says the flu season is picking up.

While many cases of flu are mild, Papenburg says the illness presents a higher risk to …