Health advisory: Smog leads to rise in flu, fever cases

Cleanliness is vital to fighting off infections and illnesses, experts say

ISLAMABAD: The number of flu, cough and fever patients, especially children, is on the rise in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad due to change of weather and smog.  The health experts considering the severity of condition warned parents to adopt precautionary measures to protect their children from respiratory diseases and ensure healthy food and take care of them during early morning hours and at night.

Child specialist Dr Ahmed in Cantt area said catching a cold and flu in winter was a common phenomenon which affects millions of people across the globe but children and aged people were more prone to pneumonia and lung infection and must be cared for in the initial stage. Influenza, pneumonia, asthma, severe cough and fever were the season's serious concerns for which improving natural immunity was more imperative than the medicines, Ahmed suggested.

The medicines in some cases may worsen the conditions, he warned.

Another medical practitioner Hassan Gul stressing on cleanliness said the children must be enforced to wash their hands every time while going to a toilet and coming back home after a playing activity outside.

Hina Durrani, a mother of two ailing children at the clinic said traditional remedies were not working and she had to consult a pediatrician as the children were going through monthly school tests. Doctor Nasir Ali at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) said quality vaccination to children was necessary to enable them fight these seasonal viruses.

He however admitted that the affordability of these vaccines was an issue to cover every segment. He also advised to adopt healthy lifestyle as it played the main role in fighting against ailments.  

Published in The Express Tribune, October 26^th, 2018.