Air Pollution: Delhi, neighbours put on alert for health emergency - Times of India
Ncr: Air Pollution: Delhi, neighbours put on alert for health emergency | Delhi News - Times of India
NEW DELHI: With air pollution touching dangerous levels in several parts of the country, and most prominently in the National Capital Region (NCR), the health ministry has advised all states to strengthen support at district and hospital levels to manage acute and chronic conditions attributable to it.
Short-term exposure to high levels of pollutants can result in irritation of eyes, nose, throat and skin, cough, breathing difficulty, wheezing, chest discomfort and headache.
Vulnerable groups - for example, small children and elderly - can experience more severe effects such as lower respiratory tract inflammation and infection, exacerbation of asthma, bronchitis or exacerbation of chronic illnesses such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischaemic heart diseases, and stroke, said the advisory.
Track the pollution level in your city
The advisory says, doctors and other staff at healthcare facilities should be oriented to manage these issues. It also stresses the need to ensure availability of medicines needed to manage acute respiratory, heart-related or brain-related conditions and have adequate oxygen supply, nebulisers and ventilators.
The government has asked states to establish and expand surveillance on air pollution-related illnesses, analyse statistics on ailments related to it, and share the findings with state and central agencies for timely action.
Sharing a copy of the advisory with all states last month, health secretary Sudhant Pant said, "Now, with state level action plans for climate change and human health (including air pollution) in place for almost all states/UTs under National Programme for Climate Change and Human Health, it will be relevant as a next step to develop district- and city-level action plans for climate change and human health under NPCCHH; and expand the network of sentinel hospitals for air pollution-related illnesses surveillance in your state."
Several studies have shown how a rise in pollution levels lead to increased emergency room (ER) visits. AIIMS Delhi, for example, witnessed 69,400 ER visits between June 2017 and February 2019, according to a study published in the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.
A study by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) found that 1.7 million deaths (18% of total fatalities) in India in 2019 were attributable to air pollution.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
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- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
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On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”