As air quality plummets, Delhi fights ‘Walking Pneumonia" cases

New Delhi: The capital region’s falling air quality index (AQI) has caused an increase in patients with respiratory ailments particularly the cases of ‘walking pneumonia’, NDTV reported.

Walking pneumonia is a term used in healthcare to refer to a less severe form of illness usually caused by a common bacterium called Mycoplasma pneumonia.

Patients usually require no bed rest or hospitalization, hence the name walking pneumonia.

The infection from this bacteria is usually mild and is diagnosed by a physical exam or an X-ray. However, it could be severe in some cases.

It comes with flu-like symptoms including fever, sore throat and cough alongside mild breathing difficulties lasting longer than the standard three to five days of an acute respiratory infection.

Walking pneumonia can spread from respiratory droplets of an infected person while coughing or sneezing usually in crowded settings like schools and colleges.

Meanwhile, Delhi on Friday woke up to see smog and haze covering the city.

However, air quality index (AQI) showed marginal improvement but still remained in the category of ‘very poor’.

The Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) has been witnessing a thick layer of smog over the past several days.

Authorities switched schools to online classes and introduced pollution control measures after AQI went down to ‘severe-plus’ category earlier this week.

It is reported that an AQI ranging between 0 and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory and between 101 and 200 it is moderate.

However, when it is between 201 and 300, the condition is poor and 301 and 400 very poor, 401 and 450 severe, and above 450 severe-plus.

Home to about 7 crore people, Delhi ranks tops in air pollution in winter as cold traps dust, emissions and smoke emerging from stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana.