What You Need to Know About 'Walking Pneumonia'

(Image credit: Bermix Studio/Unsplash)

Pneumonia is a respiratory condition caused by an infection of the lungs by bacteria, particularly, the pneumococcus bacteria. Symptoms include fever, cough with yellow, green or bloody mucus, fatigue, rapid breathing, shortness of breath, and chest pain among others.

There's another type of pneumonia called 'walking pneumonia' caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae. It's called 'walking pneumonia' because it's a milder version of pneumonia. That is, people are able to function more normally, and be able to 'walk around' instead of being bed-ridden or hospitalized.

The symptoms for walking pneumonia may be similar to other respiratory infections, so if symptoms persist for longer than a week, it may be time to go to the doctor and have it checked.