Though the nation’s respiratory disease levels remain low overall, with COVID levels declining and little sign of a flu uptick, illnesses caused by Mycobacterium pneumoniae are increasing, especially in children, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) levels are also on the rise, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in it weekly respiratory virus update.

Pneumonia and acute bronchitis related to M pneumoniae bacteria have increased since late spring and have remained high, peaking in late August, the CDC said.

The CDC said it using various surveillance tools to better understand the rise, which is especially affecting young children, a change from previous years when school-age children and adolescents were most affected.

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