Rawalpindi: The incidences of upper and lower respiratory tract infections particularly among children and elderly people have been on the rise after a significant fall in mercury in the last three to four weeks in this region of the country.
Data collected by ‘The News’ has revealed that the majority of the patients visiting the three Rawalpindi Medical College allied hospitals in town and other healthcare facilities have been with the complaints of common cold and flu (influenza). Over 60 percent of the total child patients being taken to the allied hospitals are with complaints of upper and lower respiratory tract infections.
Data reveals that most of the patients visiting the outpatient department of the hospitals are with common cold and flu, the common infections of upper respiratory tract involving nose, throat, ears and sinuses.
Health experts say that the number of cases of seasonal infections is on the rise mainly because people are either unaware of various aspects of winter-related health threats or they do not take proper care to avoid the infections. In 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.
Most of the elderly patients visiting the allied hospitals are with complaints of complications involving cardiac problems and hypertension. Also a good number of diabetics are visiting the hospitals with complications after the fall in mercury.
Health experts say that cardiac patients and patients with high blood pressure and diabetes face complications in winter mainly because they become inactive and do not do any exercise in result of which their bodies do not lose salts. According to experts, such patients should continue regular physical activity including walk in winter but not early in the morning and evening or night when the mercury falls to much lower level.
Experts say that the common cold and flu in children should not be taken lightly as these might lead to lower respiratory tract infections including pneumonia. Severe cold dry air may cause respiratory tract infections and as well trigger asthma in persons of all age-groups. It is important that well over 250,000 Pakistani children die each year from pneumonia, making it one of the leading killers of under five-year-old children in the country.
