In its weekly respiratory illness snapshot, the CDC upgraded the level from low to moderate.
With flu and COVID levels still low but expected to rise, the CDC said vaccination is a good way to cut risk over the holiday season.
As flu test positivity crept upward, emergency department visits increased slightly among children and adolescents.
But differences in treatment failure were small compared with kids who received antibiotics, and severe outcomes were rare regardless of antibiotic treatment.
The study authors say knowledge about antibiotic-related harms will help patients, providers, and antibiotic stewardship programs.
The CDC said the rise in M pneumoniae in children ages 2 to 4 is notable, because it isn't typically known as a leading cause of pneumonia in the age-group.
The study will investigate whether a strategy known as safety-net antibiotic prescription reduces antibiotic use without worsening clinical outcomes.
In more than half of Veterans Affairs patients hospitalized for pneumonia over 8 years, the diagnosis of pneumonia changed between initial presentation and hospital discharge.
Approved in 2018 for treating pneumonia and skin infections, the drug has shown activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant strains.
ACIP made its latest assessments during a packed 3-day schedule, during which it also updated it recommendation for RSV vaccines.
