PESHAWAR: An unusual increase in pneumonia cases has been witnessed in upper districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as mercury lowered in the said areas during recent days.
According to the data collected by the ‘The Public Preview’, majority of the patients visiting the hospitals of upper areas are either suffering from cold, cough or pneumonia.
Medics in public and private hospitals of Peshawar, Haripur, Abbottabad, Mansehra and surroundings areas informed ‘The Public Review” that number of pneumonia patients is increasing with each passing days.
They said that during recent days when motorways and road linking main cities were closed during protest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and measures taken by government to deal with protestors, they had to face severe hardship in tacking the pneumonia patients, as they were not able to refer them to Peshawar or Rawalpindi.
However, now after reopening of roads, the situation has improved, they added.
It should be mentioned here that on November 12, 2024 World Pneumonia Day was observed. The reports released on the day stated that the disease claims the lives of about 71,000 children in Pakistan every year.
The deteriorating air quality caused by smog also worsening the situation in the country. The effects of climate change, especially in the urban areas has made it harder to control pneumonia.
The air pollution exacerbated by climate change causes respiratory issues resulting in surge to diseases like pneumonia in children causing their deaths.
