Illness Update 11/18/16
Post date: Nov 18, 2016 7:53:21 PM
We have had many coughs present this week. There are 2 reported cases of "pneumonia" in the ES.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae AKA "walking pneumonia":
The incubation period for walking pneumonia is 1-4 wks. It is spread through droplet/air from coughing and sneezing.
Please see the below info from the CDC on this diagnosis.
Taken directly from CDC website: https://www.cdc.gov/pneumonia/atypical/mycoplasma/about/signs-symptoms.html
Signs and Symptoms
In general, Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is a mild illness with symptoms that appear and get worse over a period of 1 to 4 weeks. This bacterium can cause several types of infections. Pneumonia (lung infection) may be the most serious type of M. pneumoniae infection, but not everyone will develop pneumonia. It is estimated that only 1 out of every 3 people who get ill from M. pneumoniaeactually get pneumonia.
The most common type of illness, especially in children, is tracheobronchitis, commonly known as chest cold. This chest cold often comes with:
- Sore throat
- Fatigue (being tired)
- Fever
- Slowly worsening cough that can last for weeks or months
- Headache
Children younger than 5 years old often do not run a fever when they have M. pneumoniae infection. Instead they may have signs that appear more like a cold than pneumonia. They sometimes wheeze, vomit, or have diarrhea.
Like many respiratory diseases, Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is spread by coughing and sneezing. Some tips to prevent the spread of M. pneumoniae include:
- Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
- Put your used tissue in the waste basket.
- If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve or elbow, not your hands.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
- If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
There is no vaccine to prevent M. pneumoniae infection.