NEW DELHI, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- India's federal government said that over 200,000 cases of acute respiratory illnesses were recorded in six state-run hospitals in the Indian capital, Delhi, from 2022 to 2024, with air pollution as a notable trigger.
Six major hospitals recorded 67,054 acute respiratory illness cases in 2022, 69,293 in 2023 and 68,411 in 2024, according to the federal health and family welfare ministry in the upper house of the Indian parliament, locally called Rajya Sabha.
"Of the total 204,758 acute respiratory illness cases, 30,424 required hospitalization," the ministry said.
"Air pollution is one of the triggering factors for respiratory ailments and associated diseases. Health effects of air pollution are synergistic manifestation of factors which include food habits, occupational habits, socio-economic status, medical history, immunity, heredity, etc.," the ministry pointed out.
The ministry said the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) conducts sentinel surveillance of air pollution-related illnesses through the network of more than 230 sentinel surveillance sites spanning across the country.
The revelation comes at a time when the national capital territory is battling the rising air pollution levels. For many years in the past, the air quality in Delhi would turn hazardous ahead of winter.
Industrial activities and vehicular traffic are significant contributors to air pollution in the city, along with rampant construction.
The situation worsens due to the rise in emissions from stubble burning in neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana, which increases the concentration of prominent pollutants in the air much beyond the safety limits. ■