The CDC has issued a bulletin about an increase in Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a bacterial infection that can lead to pneumonia, especially among children, in close settings such as in schools.
Many cases can go undetected. When the respiratory infection results in pneumonia, it is commonly referred to as “walking pneumonia” because the symptoms are generally mild and most people choose not to stay at home or in bed. Some infected people may have no symptoms. Younger children can exhibit different symptoms, such as diarrhea, wheezing and vomiting. The infection can result in more severe symptoms and complications, up to and including hospitalization. Usual pneumonia treatments such as penicillin are not effective for M. pneumoniae; antibiotics such as erythromycin and azithromycin are recommended.
It can take 1 to 4 weeks for symptoms to appear after someone's been exposed to the bacteria and symptoms such as coughing can last for several weeks, even months. It is spread by respiratory droplets that someone inhales when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The best prevention is frequent hand washing and turning and covering your mouth or nose with the crook of your arm, not your hand, when coughing or sneezing.
Please contact your student’s school nurse or the District Nurse Leader, melbed1@gpsk12.org if you have any questions or concerns.
https://www.cdc.gov/mycoplasma/about/index.html
