40 children lose lives to pneumonia in Rawalpindi

Experts say cold temperature, smog endanger lives of newborns

RAWALPINDI:

The current pervasive smog and biting cold has led to a large number of infants falling ill and suffering from pneumonia.

In the last one month and 22 days, 40 children have died of pneumonia in Benazir Bhutto General Hospital alone. Children between the ages of one month and one year are suffering from pneumonia.

Health experts have advised parents to not take children outside homes and to protect them from the cold by ensuring adequate heating in homes. Falling temperatures and increasing cold have created dangerous conditions for young children, they added.

Younger children are more susceptible to pneumonia. At Benazir Bhutto General Hospital alone, from December 1, 2023, to January 21, 2024, the number of children diagnosed with pneumonia was 950. Of these, 40 lost their lives to the disease.

Read: After Lahore, pneumonia scare grips Multan

Benazir Bhutto General Hospital's Medical Superintendent, Dr Tahir Rizvi said that most of the children who died were very young. Children between one month and one year of age form the majority of those suffering from the potentially lethal disease. “More young children are becoming victims of pneumonia. In many children, their condition becomes alarming as they already have low immunity.”

Dr Rizvi added that bathing babies immediately after birth has been banned in the gynaecology department at the hospital as there is a risk of them contracting pneumonia from the cold. “Parents should not allow children to go outside the house and arrange heating in their rooms while taking care that it does not make the children sweat. Cover children's heads and keep them indoors in cold weather to avoid contracting pneumonia,” he said.

In light of the escalating health crisis, health officials are urging the community to take immediate preventive measures. With the number of child pneumonia cases on the rise, parents are strongly advised to keep their children indoors, shielding them from the harsh cold.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2024.