Walking pneumonia cases spike in Ottawa area, putting strain on hospitals

The number of pneumonia cases is rising across Ottawa and the surrounding area, happening much earlier than usual this year. Health officials say the surge is putting more pressure on local hospitals.

The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) is seeing a significant increase in patients with respiratory illnesses, such as pneumonia among the main reasons.

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“Our emergency department is very busy. It was built for about 150 patients. Yesterday we registered just under 250 patients,” said Tammy DeGiovanni, CHEO’s senior vice-president of clinical services and chief nursing executive. “So very busy time of the year and lots of respiratory illnesses.”

Healthcare providers report that walking pneumonia, a mild form of pneumonia, accounts for many of these visits.

“It’s often referred to as walking pneumonia, which really refers to the sense that, typically these patients aren’t extremely ill, so they’re able to be walking around,” said DeGiovanni. “They’re not in respiratory distress, yet do have lots of respiratory symptoms and a cough that is dragging on.”

Doctors say while walking pneumonia is usually mild, it can occasionally lead to more serious infections. They advise staying home when sick and ensuring vaccinations are up to date.

Meanwhile, emergency rooms across the region are also seeing a sharp rise in pneumonia cases, well above the usual levels for this time of year.

“I did notice a fairly dramatic increase in pneumonias, particularly in children, adolescents (and) young adults. Way out of proportion to what we would normally see this time of year,” said Dr. Alan Drummond, a family and emergency physician.

Drummond noted that pneumonia cases have skyrocketed in his clinic.

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“Six or seven cases of an actual defined pneumonia during the course of six or seven hours in the emergency department, you know, we might see one or two a shift or one or two a week. But now we’re seeing a ton of them,” he said.

Experts say anyone experiencing symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, or fever is asked to seek medical attention as soon as possible.