Pneumonia cases surge in winter

HYDERABAD:

Amid the winter season, a surge in pneumonia cases among children is observed, marked by symptoms including cold, cough, fever, sore throat, and breathing difficulties.

Pneumonia, an inflammation of the lungs typically triggered by bacterial or viral infections, manifests with deeper lung tissue involvement compared to bronchitis, an inflammation of the airway tubes.

Recognizable through symptoms like fever, breathing challenges, and chest pain, pneumonia is evident in white shades on chest X-rays.

Read 93,000 children contract pneumonia across K-P this year

Speaking to APP on Friday, Paediatrician Dr Zulfiqar Shaikh highlighted that pneumonia, an infection affecting the lungs, induces cough, fever, and respiratory distress, with severe cases posing life-threatening risks.

While most infected children and adults exhibit flu-like symptoms that resolve within days, some cases escalate to severe lung inflammation, necessitating medical intervention and, in certain instances, hospitalisation.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 30^th, 2023.