Pneumonia's unwelcome return: Canadian hospital data points to big jump last respiratory illness season

The list of pneumonia hospitalizations rosebush by almost third during the endure respiratory malady season compared to the previous period, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

Children between five and 17 years old were especially hard hit during 2024-2025, with pneumonia hospitalizations more than doubling over the previous period, according to the data.

Dr. Jesse Papenburg, an infectious disease specialist at Montreal Children's Hospital, said CIHI's numbers reflect what health-care workers already sensed — that it was an unusually busy time for pneumonia.

Papenburg said last year's bad flu season was likely a major driver of the pneumonia surge.

Children’s doctors warn of spike in highly infectious walking pneumonia

Viral pneumonia can be a serious complication of the flu.

Papenburg said influenza infection can also lead to bacterial pneumonia because it affects the cells in the respiratory tract and makes it easier for bacteria to get in.

"It's not uncommon for somebody to say, well, they had this influenza-like illness. They were starting to get better, they were feeling better and then all of a sudden, they got much worse and presented with what is a classic case of bacterial pneumonia."

Another factor likely affecting the rise in pneumonia hospitalizations is last year's unusual spike in "walking pneumonia" cases, especially among children, Papenburg said.

People with walking pneumonia, caused by mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria, generally have milder symptoms — including cough, fever and fatigue — than patients with other types of pneumonia, and usually recover on their own.

But even though the proportion of people with severe cases of walking pneumonia remained small, the sheer number of them led to more patients requiring hospitalization than in other years, Papenburg said.

The CIHI data said pneumonia hospitalizations exceeded pre-pandemic levels across all age groups.

Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Alberta, said that in addition to a nastier flu season and the prevalence of mycoplasma pneumoniae, pneumonia cases could be rising because different strains of bacteria may be circulating that we didn't develop immunity to during the pandemic.

The CIHI data includes pneumonia hospitalizations between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025.

Hospitalizations for children and youth increased by 143 per cent over the previous year — from 2,698 patients to 6,547.

Pneumonia hospitalizations rose by 34 per cent for adults aged 18 to 64 and by 22 per cent for seniors 65 and over.

Papenburg said it's too early to tell whether pneumonia hospitalizations are up again this year, but parents can help protect their children against severe pneumonia by ensuring they are up to date on their vaccinations.

A vaccine for the most common bacteria that cause severe pneumonia is part of the routine childhood immunization schedule, he added.

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