WARREN COUNTY, Ohio — Warren County has seen an extremely high increase in pediatric pneumonia cases this fall, the Warren County Health District (WCHD) said.
There have been 142 cases since August, which is both above the county average and also meets "outbreak" standards, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
The WCHD said they believe this is a large uptick in pneumonia at once, not a new or novel respiratory disease.
Pneumonia is a respiratory infection that affects the lungs, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The lungs are made up of alveolis that fill with air when a healthy person breathes. Pneumonia fills the alveolis with fluid and pus, causing breathing to be limited and painful. Specifically, the exact pneumonia strains found in Warren County include Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumonie and Adrenovirus, according to the WCHD.
There is currently not a definitive thread or cause linking the pneumonia cases together, but there is an ongoing investigation into possible risk factors. The cases are also spanning multiple school districts. The average age thus far is around 8 years old, according to the WCHD.
According to the WHO, pneumonia is most commonly caused by viruses, bacteria and fungi. Pneumonia can then be spread in several ways, including air-borne droplets from a cough or sneeze.
While it can cause mild to life-threatening illnesses in people of all ages, it is the single largest infectious cause of death in children worldwide. The WCHD said the most common symptoms in this outbreak include cough, fever and fatigue.
Both the ODH and WCHD are asking health providers to have a lower threshold when testing children with those symptoms, and to include tests for respiratory viruses, mycoplasma and pertussis.
The WCHD is asking asking those gathering for the holidays to remember to take precautions, including washing hands, covering coughs, staying home when sick and staying up-to-date on vaccines.
Anyone with questions about the outbreak or those wanting to report a pneumonia case, are asked to contact the Warren County Health District at 513-695-2097.
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