NC hospitals see increase in pediatric pneumonia cases

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GASTONIA, N.C. — Hospitals across the state are seeing an increase in younger patients with pneumonia in recent weeks.

Experts tell Channel 9 they’re not sure why the numbers are up, but the impact isn’t a mystery. One doctor at Carolina Pediatric Center in Gastonia says she’s seen more walking pneumonia cases in October than she has seen in her 23 years of practice.

The doctor told Channel 9′s Ken Lemon she has seen a lot of spread among siblings. It’s a warning that even Rowan County posted as cases surge in school-aged children, leading to hospitalization.

Even in Gaston County, pharmacist Don Thrower says they’ve seen more cases of respiratory illness too.

“At least 15, 20 percent,” Thrower told Lemon on Tuesday.

Thrower is the co-owner of Medical Center Plaza in Gastonia, and he said the cases he has seen are in toddlers and children under 8 years old.

“They are just so susceptible to getting every problem that’s out there,” Thrower said.

Doctors say that age group is most likely to have close contact with others.

“Kids in schools, they are going to pass things around,” Thrower said.

Walking pneumonia is contagious, but fortunately not very harmful. Doctors call it mild compared to other respiratory illnesses, but it can make people, especially children, feel miserable for a few days.

It’s treated with a round of antibiotics. But Thrower says the treatment may not be so easy to find with so many more people battling respiratory illness.

“There are some antibiotics that are just not available right now, you just can’t get them,” Thrower said.

Many parents know Z-Pak, which is a packaged round of Azithromycin. It’s the antibiotics many doctors will reach for to treat respiratory illness in children. Thrower says it may be a day or so before you can get it or Augmentin, or a higher dose of Aminopenicillin.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in some cases it can take up to a month for symptoms to appear. They include a slowly worsening cough, headache, and fever. Children under 5 could also have sneezing, watery eyes, and stuffy or runny nose.

(VIDEO: SC health officials say respiratory illness spike tied to holiday season)

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