Fit and Well: Walking Pneumonia

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — This holiday season, medical experts want you to be aware of the rise in “walking pneumonia.”

It’s a milder but still concerning and contagious form of infection.

That’s the focus of this week’s Fit and Well Idaho report.

Health officials say walking pneumonia is most common among the young adult and adolescent population.

According to St. Luke’s Urgent Care Center experts, patients do not typically require emergency room visits or in-patient care. Still, they often exhibit symptoms like cough and cold, fatigue, and low-grade fever.

With a week of holiday gatherings around the corner, Dr. Martha Taylor shared what you can do to keep yourself and others from getting sick.

“Sanitize and wash your hands after going to the grocery store. If you have a fever, you should stay home because you are contagious. Regardless if it is a virus, bacteria, pneumonia, covid, fever means quarantine at home.”

Dr. Taylor said that St. Luke’s has also seen a spike in COVID-19 and flu cases in the last two weeks.

She added that if you need to go in for an evaluation next week, the urgent care center will be open, with abbreviated hours on Christmas day.

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