Area county seeing ‘outbreak’ in number of child pneumonia cases

WARREN COUNTY — An area county has seen an above-average number of pediatric pneumonia cases this fall, according to health officials.

The Warren County Health District says since August, there have been 142 cases of pediatric pneumonia reported.

“Not only is this above the county average, it also meets the Ohio Department of Health definition of an outbreak,” a spokesperson for the health district said in a release. “We do not think this is a novel/new respiratory disease but rather a large uptick in the number of pneumonia cases normally seen at one time.”

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The average age so far is around 8-years-old, the spokesperson said.

The cases span multiple school districts and there have been no conclusive patterns among the children diagnosed.

The health district said that based on data responses from a recent parent questionnaire, the most common symptoms included cough, fever, and fatigue.

WCHD and the Ohio Department of Health are working together to determine the cause and further spread of the illness.

For questions or need to report a pneumonia case, you can contact the Warren County Health District at 513-695-2097.

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