Winter Hits Peshawar Hard as Over 170 Children Die of Pneumonia in a Month

The intense winter has become a grave concern for the parents and the city administration following a sharp death-toll rise among children due to pneumonia. A report from Geo News states that almost 175 children died of pneumonia in the three largest hospitals in the provincial capital in just one month

Citing a spokeswoman, the report added that the highest number of deaths, 153, occurred at Khyber Teaching Hospital, where 447 youngsters actively suffering from respiratory illnesses are under medical care.

It further stated that twelve of the 300 children admitted to the Lady Reading Hospital died from pneumonia. The spokesman for the Hayatabad Medical Complex verified ten fatalities in his facility due to the said disease.

Due to the intense cold, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has backtracked from its decision not to give winter vacations in summer zone schools and giving limited winter holidays in winter zone schools.

KP’s Elementary and Secondary Education Department (ESED) has now notified winter vacations for schools in summer zones and increased winter holidays for schools in winter zones.

The notification states that all schools in the summer zone will remain closed from 25 December to 1 January. They will reopen on 2 January. Likewise, all schools in the winter zone will remain closed from 25 December to 15 February. They will reopen on 16 February.