Rawalpindi: A sharp fall in mercury and chilly weather conditions being witnessed after a spell of rainfall in this region of the country along with snowfall on neighbouring mountainous regions may cause serious health hazards particularly for children, the elderly and the chronic patients.
The three Rawalpindi Medical University allied hospitals including Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and Rawalpindi Teaching Hospital along with private healthcare facilities in town have already been receiving a significantly heavy influx of child patients and elderly patients with winter-related health threats for at least two weeks.
Most of the child cases reaching allied hospitals are with upper respiratory tract infections while those in need of hospitalisation have been with complaints of pneumonia or asthmatic problems and a further fall in mercury may cause increase in the number of child cases with RTIs, said a top official serving at Rawalpindi Medical University.
According to Dean of Paediatrics at RMU Professor Dr. Rai Muhammad Asghar, the incidences of RTIs have taken the shape of an epidemic among the child population as 70 to 80 per cent of all child patients visiting the three allied hospitals are with RTIs while an alarming increase in the number of child cases with pneumonia is also being witnessed.
The experts say that the frequent changes in weather conditions as happened in the last two weeks and the sharp fall in mercury particularly after the recent rain spell in this region of the country have been causing a significant rise in the number of child patients with winter-related infections.
They say that the need of the time is to educate parents on how to prevent children and infants from infections and the most important thing in the existing weather conditions is that children and infants should be avoided from cold.
Wet clothes of children and infants should be removed immediately and adults with complaints of flu and cold should take extra care while handling children. Experts say that infants should be kept warm while children should be given a healthy diet like soup and eggs.
Experts also say that in cases of cold and flu, the young children below five years of age should not be given adult cough syrups as these might be harmful for their health. It is important that adult cough syrups are contraindicated in young children and they should be given specialized medication.
The majority of patients visiting OPDs of the allied hospitals are with common cold and flu, the common infections of upper respiratory tract involving nose, throat, ears and sinuses. Experts say that in a severe cold, if proper care is not taken, complications such as ear and sinus infections in case of colds and pneumonia in case of flu may occur.
Data collected by ‘The News’ has revealed that a good number of elderly patients visiting the allied hospitals are with complaints of complications involving cardiac problems and hypertension. Also, a number of diabetics are visiting the hospitals with complications after the severe cold wave gripped the region.
Published in The NEWS on January 4, 2025.
