New York, Nov 16 (IANS): Cases of the mild form of pneumonia have been surging among young children in the Washington, D.C. region of the United States, local media reported, citing paediatricians and public health officials.

"Spread of the bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae is fueling the increase in 'walking pneumonia,' a term health-care providers use to refer to an illness that is less severe than full-blown pneumonia, which may cause high fever and require patients to be hospitalised," reports Xinhua quoting The Washington Post on Friday.

Nationally, emergency department visits with Mycoplasma-related diagnoses increased among children in the six-month period ending in early October, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Although the infections historically affect school-age children, the CDC noted an increase of 1 per cent to 7 per cent in cases among 2-to-4-year-olds and a rise of 4 per cent to 7 per cent in illnesses of 5-to-17-year-olds. Diagnoses for those age groups peaked in August, data show.