GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) – A warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that another respiratory disease is making more children sick this fall.

There is an increase in cases of walking pneumonia, particularly in preschool children.

It is a milder form of pneumonia but can be serious and requires medical attention.

We have reported that RSV is on the rise, particularly in young children, and the number of pertussis cases is five times higher compared to this time last year. And now this.

These are all lung infections. Doctors say they occur when a virus, bacteria or fungus invades the lungs and causes inflammation.

As for walking pneumonia, symptoms of the milder lung infection can last for weeks. Watch for a cough, low fever, or muscle aches.

Doctors say penicillin and amoxicillin, the antibiotics typically used to treat pneumonia, don’t seem to work for walking pneumonia, so other antibiotic therapy may be needed instead.

“This antibiotic is most commonly zithromycin, which is also referred to as Z-pack by many people in the community, and is actually very good for walking pneumonia,” said Dr. Frank Esper of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Cleveland Clinic Children’s.

Keeping a child who is showing symptoms home from school can, like anything else, help slow the spread of the disease.

Talk to your children about covering their coughs and sneezes. Washing your hands frequently is also important, especially at this time of year.

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