Chennai: As per the National Health Profile Report released by the Central government, more than 19 lakh people (19,25,888) across Tamil Nadu were affected by Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) in 2014.
The death toll also rose from 4 in 2013 to 14 in 2014, according to the report released by the government underlining the link between incidence of respiratory diseases and presence of pollutants in the air.
“Awareness and preventive measures can go a long way to reduce cases pertaining to ARI in the state. But for this, the health department should keep itself updated and come out with advisories so that citizens know what needs to be done, especially for the vulnerable population comprising children, pregnant women and the elderly,” said Shweta Narayan, Co-coordinator, Community Environmental Monitoring.
“If a person is in a pollution prone zone then what precautions one must take to reduce exposure should be available at hand. Protecting public health is an important aspect and the key is information to the people as to what is going on and mechanisms to reduce such exposure,” she said.
The source of such pollution causing agents needs to be identified and dealt with firmly, she said.
“All departments of the government should come together and work. If other countries can, then why can’t we?” she asked.
“In certain cases pollution can cause damage to the respiratory tract, which in turn can affect the immune system and lead to infection,” said Dr Ram Subramanian, Senior Consultant, Infectious Diseases, Apollo Hospitals.
Stressing the importance of raising awareness to prevent such infections Dr Ram suggests that in such a situation when a person is going out wearing a mask is beneficial as it filters the pollution causing particulate matter.
“Awareness is very important, so by minimising motor exhaust we can also reduce pollution levels. This is where public transport should be encouraged so that the number of vehicles is few and pollution levels go down,” he said.
Dr R. Sridhar, Professor of Pulmonary Medicine, Stanley Govt Hospital, said he advises his patients who suffer from such respiratory problems to avoid direct exposure to known sources of pollution and use possible preventive measures. “But where pollution levels are higher than permissible limits people can’t exactly protect themselves on their own, so we ask them to stay away as much as possible from such areas. “
To prevent infections like pneumonia patients are asked to get vaccinated, he said. “In traffic prone areas those driving two-wheelers can protect themselves by using helmets with a visor as it will prevent exposure to dust and pollution,” said Dr Sridhar.
He also added that awareness should be created among people so that they do not burn pollution causing materials during festivals such as Bhogi when air pollution levels go up.
As per the National Health Profile report, air pollution is emerging as a major health hazard in India with the number of cases related to ARI rising by 5 million since 2012.
