Pregnancy And Baby Care Toddler Illness Toddler Walking Pneumonia

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... or bacterial infection. It can start off as a common cold or the toddler could have upper respiratory infection. The mild form of pneumonia is called walking pneumonia. It is caused by mycoplasma pneumoniae. It is mild but bothersome as its symptoms can linger for days together, even after the fever has gone, hence the name.

Walking pneumonia in toddlers exhibits symptoms like moderate to severe cough and medium to high fever with rapid and labored breathing. The toddler can develop dry cough which may get worse at night, sore throat, head ache, fatigue and weakness. The other symptoms of walking pneumonia in toddlers may be skin rash, diarrhea, chest pain, chills, enlarged lymph glands, and muscle aches.

Diagnosis and treatment for Toddler Walking Pneumonia

The diagnosis of walking pneumonia is done by taking into account the symptoms along with a chest X-ray and blood analysis to find what type of pneumonia the child has. Walking pneumonia in toddlers is contagious and spreads in about 1-3 weeks of infection. However, its symptoms and signs are only gradually revealed. Cultures are rarely done as they take long to grow, and the patient may test positive even after many weeks of getting infected.

The toddler might take more than six weeks to get completely well even after the symptoms are long gone. They can be treated with the right medicine and most often common antibiotics are of not much help. However, the bacteria are sensitive to erythromycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin and tetracyline in older kids. Remember that antibiotics are extremely useful when administered at the early stages.

In addition to walking pneumonia, the bacteria may cause infections in the ears, sinus, bronchitis, croup and other infections. Avoid cold and cough medicines for toddlers less than four years of age. Antibiotics are not used to treat viral pneumonia as they do not have any effect on the virus. Walking pneumonia can affect the child at any time during the year and is not specific to any particular time or season. It is important to keep the child hydrated with plenty of fluids to fight infection and prevent dehydration which can be a side effect to the difficulty in breathing and fever that accompanies walking pneumonia