Fall in mercury may pose health hazards

Rawalpindi: A sharp fall in mercury and chilly weather conditions after a spell of rainfall in this region of the country along with snowfall on neighbouring mountainous region may pose serious health threats particularly to children and the elderly.

The allied hospitals along with private healthcare facilities in town have already been receiving significantly heavy influx of child patients with winter-related health threats at least for a month.

Most of the child cases reaching allied hospitals are with upper respiratory tract infections while those admitted are with complaints of pneumonia or asthmatic problems and the fall in mercury may cause increase in number of child cases with RTIs, said Assistant Professor of Paediatrics at Rawalpindi Medical University and Incharge Paeds Department at Holy Family Hospital Dr. Tariq Saeed while talking to 'The News'.

He said the frequent changes in weather conditions as happened in last two weeks and falling of mercury again and again because of rain spells in this region of the country have been causing rise in infections among children particularly the respiratory tract infections.

He said it is need of the time to make public aware 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 protected from cold.

He said that 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. He said that infants should be kept warm while children should be given healthy diet like soup and egg.

He said that in cases of cold and flu, the young children below five years of age should not be given adult cough syrups as they 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.

It is important that over 60 per cent of the total child patients being taken to the three teaching hospitals are with complaints of upper and lower respiratory tract infections. Majority of patients visiting outpatient department of the hospital are with common cold and flu, the common infections of upper respiratory tract involving nose, throat, ears and sinuses.

Dr. Tariq said that people are unaware of the fact that 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.

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 hospital with complications after the severe cold wave gripped the region.