COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Nationwide Children's Hospital is monitoring an uptick in mycoplasma pneumonia cases.   According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cases are increasing, especially in young children. The CDC said it started in the late spring and counts have remained high.  Unsolved Ohio: Father pushes for answers in 8-year-old daughter’s 2006 homicide A Westerville mother is using her son's experience to educate other parents about potential dangers. Savvy Ruh's 12-year-old son recently left the hospital after spending nearly a month there. She said his sickness started as mycoplasma pneumonia, otherwise known as walking pneumonia.  Nationwide Children's Hospital's Chief of Infectious Diseases Dr. Jason Newland said its nickname has to do with the way it's spread. He said cases are typically mild, so people with the illness can often continue their normal activities while sick. However, some cases can be severe.   "It was really frustrating and exhausting just to sleep in a recliner every night and watch your kid scream and cry and look like he's deteriorating for a while," Ruh said.    Ruh said her son first got sick in the beginning of October.    "He wasn't feeling too hot," Ruh said. "He felt pretty warm. He was just kind of congested, groggy."   She said that within a few days, her son's symptoms worsened.   "It started in one eye and then they were all gunky, gooey, kind of like pink eye and it spread to his right eye and his mouth started to swell and get real sore," Ruh said.  Soon after, she took her son to Nationwide Children's Hospital.  Columbus among top 10 unhealthiest cities in United States, according to Forbes "They were like we've had a lot of upticks in this pneumonia, and this is what this reaction looks like and so they tested him for mycoplasma and that came back positive," Ruh said.   Newland said these cases have been unusually high over the past six months.    "It spreads like a lot of our respiratory pathogens, by droplets, just like COVID, just like flu," Newland said.   According to Newland, if you want to prevent it, you should wear a mask and wash your hands.    In some rare cases, like Ruh's son, it can turn into Reactive Infectious Mucocutaneous Eruption (RIME).   "It's a lot of words to say you can have a rash, your mouth can get all red and swollen and it can get quite severe," Newland said.   "It inflamed and affected his entire mucus tract, his whole GI tract, so it was his mouth, his esophagus, his eyes, his nose, his urethra, and it was all just peeling and shedding and blistering," Ruh said.   Newland said RIME is predominantly found in teenagers. He said when it comes to any disease, staying up to date on immunizations and vaccinations is key.   Ohio Civil War soldiers honored at last for roles in ‘Great Locomotive Chase’ "These things are so, so impactful and as someone in infectious diseases who sees children with these horrible infections, man if we can prevent them, it's just incredible to not have to deal with some of the really bad things that can happen," he said.  Newland said they typically see walking pneumonia in children aged five and up, but they're noticing an increase of cases in children ages two to four. He said if a cough is persistent beyond three days, talk to your clinician.   Ruh said her son spent 25 days at Nationwide Children's Hospital. She said he is in better shape and his swelling and sores are just about gone. Now, she is urging parents to trust their gut and seek a medical opinion if they notice something is off with their child.