Pneumonia claims 12 lives in Punjab

230 child patients confirmed in Lahore

LAHORE:

Pneumonia continued to claim lives as 12 more children died during the past 24 hours, according to the provincial health department on Tuesday.

The children who succumbed to pneumonia during this period were aged between two months and 12 years, private news channels reported on Tuesday.

There have been 491 cases of pneumonia was reported in Punjab during the past 24 hours, whereas in Lahore, 230 children have been confirmed with the disease during the same period.

The total number of children who have suffered from the disease in Punjab this year has reached 194, while in Lahore, 45 children have been affected by the disease so far this year.

Pneumonia, an infection causing inflammation in the air sacs of the lungs, has manifested as a serious health concern.

Symptoms include cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills, and breathing difficulties, leading to severe consequences.

Citizens in various cities of Punjab are facing almost freezing temperatures due to dense fog that engulfs in the morning and stays on for hours after daybreak where health experts asked people to remain vigilant while maintaining a healthy diet and using face masks.

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A thick layer of fog has enveloped many cities in Punjab including Lahore, paralysing routine life and disrupting road traffic, a private news channel reported.

The recent cold wave and foggy conditions have already made living conditions difficult with people already suffering due to power load shedding and low pressure of gas.

In these circumstances, the number of people complaining of cold-related ailments has also shot up over the last few days.

According to the doctors working in various city hospitals, elderly persons and children are found to be the most affected people.

Motorway police said that the travellers of the Motorway had been asked to use fog lights and slow the speed due to dense fog in inner Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Motorway police have also requested the people to stay home and avoid unnecessary travelling.

The foggy weather also disrupted flights and train operations.

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Punjab Extended Programme on Immunisation Director Dr Mukhtar Ahmad said the risk of pneumonia this year was serious due to the weather conditions, including fog, smog, low temperature and also lack of rain.

It is an infection and increases in January, so the people should take precautionary measures and care to protect themselves from cold weather.

The doctor said 30 types of germs caused pneumonia and 15% of the lives claimed by it the world over were children.

He said the pneumonia afflicting children in the city was of a viral kind, so it could spread to other kids from the patients.

The provincial government also extended the winter vacations for the young children to protect them from the weather condition.

Health officials were instructed to compile data related to the disease in the province.

The health department started collecting the data but has not shared it publicly.

A senior health official told The Express Tribune that the extreme cold weather and smog in the province this year were the main reasons of the high number of pneumonia patients.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2024.