Definition: Walking pneumonia, a type of atypical pneumonia, is caused by the Mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria. Although it is usually a milder form of pneumonia than other bacterial forms of pneumonia, the symptoms can be bothersome, can linger for a month or more, and although rare, some cases can be serious and even life-threatening.
Walking pneumonia got its name because even as these children are discovered to have pneumonia, most of their other symptoms, including their fever, have gone away, so they are often 'walking around' with pneumonia.
Also Known As: Atypical pneumonia, Mycoplasma pneumonia
Examples: Children with walking pneumonia can sometimes cough for three or four weeks before starting to get better.
