LAHORE, Pakistan: Punjab province has recorded around 300 fatalities and over 18,000 pneumonia cases in the month of January, media reports suggest.
According to Unicef, around half of childhood pneumonia deaths were found linked with air pollution. Punjab government extended school holidays, clipped school hours and mandated face masks in a bid to protect children from severe weather impact.
Children’s Hospital Lahore, however, admitted hundreds of cases every day. In a pediatric ward of the hospital, a chorus of infant coughs and straining lungs is the toll of a extreme cold winter, compounded by choking smog.
The megacity is faced every winter by smog levels ranked among the worst in the world.
Rain usually brings respite, soaking up pollution particles, but the country has faced an unusually dry and cold winter, making children vulnerable to respiratory infection, according to doctors.
Premature births and stunting caused by malnutrition are also prevalent, making children more vulnerable to pneumonia.
