Fog clouding respiratory tracts in city

3 Jan 2009, 0441 hrs IST, Shimona Kanwar, TNN

CHANDIGARH: The winter air is thick with breathing problems for city residents, say doctors. Low temperature leading to foggy weather has activated the respiratory syncytial virus, which causes lung infections leading to pneumonia. Doctors at PGI have been receiving twice the number of breathing-related cases as compared to the previous year. Official data shows that the hospitals emergency received an average of four pneumonia cases per day in the month of December, as compared to two per day during the same period last year. During the other seasons, the facility receives 3-4 cases of pneumonia per week among adults. Information from Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, shows a 15% rise in the number of breathing-related cases this season as compared to the previous year. There were 863 respiratory tract cases at the hospital in November, while their number rose to 1,203 in December. Head of pulmonary medicine at PGI SK Jindal said the body tended to lose heat at a faster rate during winter. Pneumonia accounts for 25% of the patients with respiratory problems, he noted. Government Multispecialty Hospital, Sector 16, has been receiving 60 cases of pneumonia per day among children of age 5 years and less. Pneumonia-causing microbes become active during winters and are easily transmitted in overcrowded places. The lining of the respiratory passage mucosa gets damaged due to exposure to the cold, which lowers immunity, said Deepak Chawla of GMCH-32s department of paediatrics. Consume supplements like vitamin A, zinc and iron. High calorie food should be taken in moderate quantities, said Meenu Singh, who specializes in treating pulmonary disorders among children at PGI. -snip-