Warren County health investigators are looking for the cause of an outbreak of pediatric pneumonia. As of Friday, there have been 148 cases since August. Medical Director Dr. Clint Koenig says the cases aren't more severe than usual, and there have been no deaths, but there also isn't a common thread linking the cases.
“We’ve had pneumonia. We’ve had walking pneumonia. We’ve had some hospitalizations. We’ve had some hospitalizations in children with underlying illnesses,” Koenig says. “We’re not aware of any mortality associated with these. Most kids get better.”
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Pneumonia refers to any infection of the air sacs in the lungs.
“We’re seeing multiple bugs that are associated with it. We have no evidence that this is linked to any other outbreaks.”
The most common symptoms included cough, fever and fatigue. Koenig says most children are treated with antibiotics and recover at home. He says they're unsure why Warren County has so many cases, but none have been fatal.
He says there’s more cases than usual, but there isn't a new mysterious disease spreading, despite what people may be seeing on some social media posts and published stories. Koenig is frustrated with media coverage.
“If earlier in the week you had told me I was going to be doing interviews with NBC, ABC, CBS, the Washington Post, and Inside Edition, I think you would call me certifiable," he says. “To see how information sources can associate things without sufficient information or data I think is both dangerous and misleading.”
Some media sources are referring to a "white lung syndrome." Koenig says he's not sure that's an actual diagnosis.
