Pneumonia Cases Rise Above 10,000 in Punjab

Thousands of infants in Punjab have contracted pneumonia due to the prevailing smog and cold weather. According to details, twelve more children succumbed to pneumonia in the province in the past 24 hours.

Furthermore, a total of 491 new cases of pneumonia in children have been reported during the same period, bringing the total number of cases to 10,061 in Pakistan’s largest province.

As per local media reports, the death toll in Punjab has now reached 194. The increase in cases has caused severe shortages of medicine in the provincial capital, where numerous children are undergoing treatment for pneumonia, chest, and other viral infections.

In less than two months, Benazir Bhutto General Hospital in Rawalpindi alone has reported 40 child deaths due to pneumonia. Health experts have recommended the parents to keep children indoors and ensure sufficient heating at home to protect them from the cold.

It is pertinent to mention that younger children are more vulnerable to pneumonia due to underdeveloped immune systems. According to the Medical Superintendent of Benazir Bhutto General Hospital, Dr. Tahir Rizvi, a significant number of the deceased children were very young.

Moreover, the hospitals have decided to prohibit bathing newborns in the gynecology department due to the risk of them contracting pneumonia from the cold.