Staying healthy in fog-covered plains of Pakistan as bitter cold joins hands with high pollution levels
There are no westerlies and thus no rains in the region this winter season
LAHORE (Web Desk) – It’s extremely cold but very dry this winter season, as the westerlies – also called Western Disturbances – have forgotten visiting Pakistan – more precisely also most of Iran and Afghanistan – a reminder that global warming or climate change is a fact.
Read more: Pakistan among six nations bearing the brunt of pollution health burden
Results? Fog covering the plains in Pakistan where pollution-induced smog arrives soon after the end of monsoon as the high carbon emissions due to coal-fired power plants and millions of vehicles hitting the roads amid lack of public transport.
Hence, the differences between the day and night temperatures is negligible as fog hasn’t been allowing to bless the lands. Whenever and wherever it does, it is only for a few hours in afternoon.
With high pollution levels, health issues, especially the respiratory illnesses, are common and the bitter cold coupled lack of sunshine is increasing the number of patients at hospitals.
Sadly, the number of children dying of pneumonia in Punjab climbed to 179 in Punjab after the death of another seven on Saturday.
According to the official figures, a total of 230 pneumonia cases were reported in Punjab during the last 24 hours. Lahore’s share was 135. But we know the actual numbers are always high in Pakistan.
It means the overall pneumonia cases in Punjab has now jumped to 7,963, with 1,290 of these being registered in Lahore.
Read more: Soaring pollution in Lahore fills hospitals with sick children
So staying healthy is a challenge right now. However, we can tackle the challenge by covering head and neck as well as hands while using face mask to reduce the threats.
Meanwhile, please also read this story by Associated Press (AP), which is written in the context of the United States.
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
Winter is here, inflicting its usual array of symptoms — coughs, nasal congestion, fatigue and fever — and, this year, a new COVID-19 variant is dominating the scoreboard.
COVID-19 is leading hospital admissions among the respiratory viruses, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Last week, 25 US states had high or very high levels for respiratory illnesses with fever, cough and other symptoms. That’s down from 37 states the week before, the CDC said.
Since the beginning of October, there have been at least 16 million illnesses, 180,000 hospitalizations, and 11,000 deaths from flu so far this season. The CDC said 47 children have died of flu.
January can be the worst month for these illnesses. With vaccination rates low, what can you do to protect yourself from respiratory viruses, including influenza, COVID-19 and RSV?
BACK TO BASICS
Hand-washing remains crucial to reducing the spread of viral infections. Take your time at the sink. Twenty seconds is recommended. If you feel silly singing “Happy Birthday” twice while you scrub with soapy water, count to 20. Slowly.
Use hand sanitizer with 60 per cent alcohol when you don’t have access to soap and water.
Also, wear a mask in crowded areas. Increase ventilation in your workplace and home.
