Mumbai pollution levels causing increased respiratory illnesses in children

Representation picIs your child under five years Mumbais polluted air could literally be taking their breath away In the past five years 3 lakh children below the age of five have been admitted to hospitals across the state due to respiratory diseases Respiratory tract infections RTIs are any infection of the sinuses throat airways or lungs They are usually caused by viruses but can also be caused by bacteria There are two types of infections upper and lower RTI Mostly children below suffer from lower RTI which includes bronchitis and pneumoniaMumbai alone accounted 15 of these cases ranking as the secondworst affected city in Maharashtra This city is beaten only by Pune which accounted for 205 of the total cases from 20132017 But last year this trend reversed with Mumbai racking up close to double the number of ailing children as Pune while Mumbai recorded 6366 cases in 2017 Pune recorded 3607Blame pollutionAs per the WHO air pollution is a major environmentrelated health threat to children and a risk factor for both acute and chronic respiratory disease Recently I have observed that the highest of number of cases feature pneumonia among children In fact this year also a high number of pneumonia cases were reported This is mostly because of growing pollution in the city The children who are into outdoor sports generally develop the infection said Dr Sundeep Salvi director at the Chest Research FoundationOutside your home allergens and pollutants can impair the bodys immunity and if such infections remain untreated they can eventually settle in the lungs and create a potentially lifethreatening situation Other than outdoor pollution secondhand tobacco smoke and indoor fumes are also considered as top causes of infection among children In poorly ventilated dwellings indoor smoke can be 100 times higher than acceptable levels for small particlesSmog from the burning of cow dung and woods causes lots of smoke inside closed rooms If ventilation is limited then it remains inside the room and goes inside the breathing pipe of children causing infection added SalviClearing the airIts not all bad new though Since 2015 there has been a marked decrease in the number of cases From 79454 ailing children in 2015 the statewide figures fell to a much lower 26162 in 2017 Nutrition gives the strength to fight the toxins in the air If nutrition is poor then the immunity becomes weak and it affects the body Children who have suffered from lower respiratory tract infections should be more careful as they have two to fourfold increased risk of developing asthma in later life said Dr Pragati Agarwal pulmonologist from D Y Patil Universitys School of MedicineEvery breath they take26162Cases across Maharashtra in 20176366Cases from Mumbai in 2017205Cases in the state that come from Pune15Cases in the state that come from Mumbai29 lakhNo of kids under five admitted for respiratory ailments across the state in 20132017Catch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesTrending Video