CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Doctors at the Medical University of South Carolina are reporting an uptick in walking pneumonia cases. Walking pneumonia, a mild version of pneumonia, is a slow-developing lung infection that causes cold-like symptoms but often allows people to continue their daily activities despite generally feeling unwell. Dr. Ian Kane is a pediatric emergency medicine specialist at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital and said the number of positive tests has increased from the usual 1% to 5% in recent months. “We see typically about one percent of our tests come back positive for mycoplasma pneumonia, which causes walking pneumonia. That's been typical over the last couple of years. But then over the last couple of months, we've seen cases rise to about five percent of those tests. So, it's almost a fivefold increase,” he said. Although some people recover without treatment, children, young adults, and people with weakened immune systems might experience more severe symptoms like high fever, difficulty breathing, and a persistent cough. And while it has a shorter incubation time, the illness is contagious. Dr. Kane believes a contributing factor to the rise in causes could be the lack of exposure to mycoplasma during the COVID-19 pandemic, which limited immunity development in children. “We are well-equipped to deal with any of the complications that you can see from this. So, for the most part, this is something that you can manage at home- but as I mentioned, certain kids will get more seriously affected. Here, when they come, we can get an x-ray if we need to, we’ll listen to your lungs, we’ll monitor your oxygen, and there are antibiotics out there that are very effective against treating mycoplasma,” he said. Dr. Kane said walking pneumonia is caused by a small bacteria that grows slowly. “It tends to cause symptoms that aren’t quite so severe, and that’s why people coined the term ‘walking pneumonia,’ because you feel lousy, but you can still go along with your day-to-day activities.” Holiday gatherings can be a situation where the illness spreads; however, doctors said it won’t be immediately apparent because the bacteria grow slowly and invade cells that line the respiratory tract. Treatment involves getting rest, hydration, and managing symptoms. People with severe symptoms should seek medical care.