LAHORE – This winter season is extremely cold but very dry because Westerners – also called Western Disturbances – have forgotten to visit Pakistan – more specifically most of Iran and Afghanistan – a reminder that global warming or climate change is a fact .
Result? Fog blankets the plains of Pakistan, where smog from pollution such as high carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants and millions of vehicles hitting the roads amid a lack of public transport arrives soon after the end of the monsoon.
Thus, the differences between day and night temperatures are negligible because the fog does not allow to bless the earth. Anytime, anywhere, it’s just for a few hours in the afternoon.
With high levels of pollution, health problems, especially respiratory diseases, are common and the harsh winter coupled with a lack of sunlight increases the number of patients in hospitals.
The number of children who died of pneumonia in Punjab rose to 179 after the death of seven more in Punjab on Saturday.
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According to official data, a total of 230 cases of pneumonia have been reported in Punjab in the last 24 hours. Lahore’s share was 135. But we know the actual numbers are always high in Pakistan.
It means that the total number of pneumonia cases in Punjab has now jumped to 7,963 with 1,290 of them being registered in Lahore.
So staying healthy is a challenge now. However, we can deal with this challenge by covering our head and neck as well as our hands while using a face mask to reduce the threats.
In the meantime, also read this story from the Associated Press (AP), which is written in the context of the United States.
WHAT’S HAPPENING?
Winter is here, bringing its usual array of symptoms—cough, stuffy nose, fatigue, and fever—and this year, a new variant of COVID-19 is dominating the scoreboard.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 leads hospitalizations among respiratory viruses.
Last week, 25 US states had high or very high levels of respiratory illnesses with fever, cough and other symptoms. That’s down from 37 states last week, the CDC said.
As of early October, there have been at least 16 million illnesses, 180,000 hospitalizations and 11,000 deaths from the flu so far this season. The CDC reported that 47 children have died from the flu.
January can be the worst month for these diseases. With low vaccination rates, what can you do to protect yourself from respiratory viruses, including influenza, COVID-19 and RSV?
BACK TO BASICS
Hand washing remains essential to limiting the spread of viral infections. Take your time at the sink. Twenty seconds is recommended. If you feel silly singing “Happy Birthday” twice while scrubbing yourself with soapy water, count to 20. Slow down.
If you don’t have access to soap and water, use 60% alcohol hand sanitizer.
Also wear a mask in crowded areas. Increase ventilation in the workplace and at home.
