This Diwali, fewer respiratory illness cases at Delhi hospitals

New Delhi, October 25

This Diwali, Delhi hospitals saw fewer cases of respiratory illnesses as National Capital witnessed relatively cleaner air during the festival.

Doctors, on the other hand, cautioned that it is too early to draw definitive conclusions about the prevalence of respiratory illness following Diwali because people tend to visit hospitals only when their condition worsens.

Manoj Goel, Director of Pulmonology at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, said, “The air quality this time is better than the past few years. Although there has been an increase in the number of respiratory cases in the past couple of days, the numbers were about 20 per cent less than last year.” Goel, while advising people to get vaccinated against flu and pneumonia, said “It is too early to make a definitive conclusion. We still need to be careful and should take all steps to prevent pollution. We should continue preventive therapy if suffering from chronic lung and heart diseases following the doctor’s advice.”

GTB Hospital’s Medical Director Dr Subhash Giri said there were fewer complaints of respiratory illnesses since the air quality is slightly better this year probably due to windy conditions and a ban on firecrackers.

Some hospitals, however, saw a significant spike in cases of respiratory illness. Bhagwan Mantri, a consultant pulmonologist and critical care specialist at Moolchand Hospital, said there has been a 30 to 40 per cent spike in such cases.

Fewer instances of burn injuries were also reported in Delhi hospitals compared to previous years.