Respiratory illness is on the rise in metro Phoenix, doctor says

PHOENIX — Coughing, sneezing, sniffling and other health-related issues are plaguing people across the Valley.

It’s all due to a spike in respiratory illness across Arizona, according to Salil Pradhan, a pediatric hospitalist at Valleywise Comprehensive Health Center in Phoenix.

“We’ve been seeing an uptick over the past, probably, two to three weeks in the state and certainly in the city of Phoenix,” Pradhan told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Tuesday.

He said children are especially at risk of getting walking pneumonia, a sickness typically caused by an organism bacteria called mycoplasma pneumoniae.

“It’s called walking pneumonia because they tend to be not as sick, lower fevers … just lingers a little bit longer,” Pradhan said.

It’s similar to a bad runny nose and cough, he said. Since the infection is more in the throat and lungs, children are less likely to have a stuffy nose or sinus congestion that comes with typical colds.

“It’s more of the cough and the sore throat that happens with it,” Pradhan said.

He advised parents to take their child to a pediatrician if the coughing persists for more than three or four days.

Respiratory illnesses causing health concerns across the nation

Children across the nation are also getting sick, but the Valley’s unique ecosystem makes these cases typically lower, he added.

“In Phoenix, we tend to lag behind others simply because of our climate,” Pradham said. “Our numbers have been lower certainly than what we’re seeing on the east coast in the Midwest.”

While the numbers in Phoenix are increasing, they’re not as severe as other parts of the country, he added.

However, local parents should still be vigilant — especially if their children have asthma, Pradham said.

“Children who have other underlying problems as far as lung conditions, asthma being the most common one, will oftentimes have more of a severe disease,” Pradham said.

In cases like this, parents should go to a doctor sooner rather than later.

Fortunately, the more severe forms of the disease are very rare, so parents shouldn’t worry about dangerous complications, he added.

On the other hand, this sickness spreads easily, so people should be careful by washing their hands regularly, coughing into their elbows and staying at home to rest and recover.

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Kate Ourada contributed to this report.