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full screen Children rocking in the smog of Lahore. The picture is from 2017. Photo: K m Chaudary/AP/TT
An unusually severe winter and exceptionally poor air quality have caused thousands of children in Pakistan to contract pneumonia. In the province of Punjab in eastern Pakistan alone, more than 18,000 cases have been registered during the month of January, of which 300 have been fatal, according to the AFP news agency.
The Punjab provincial government has extended leave, made changes to school schedules and introduced requirements for respirators to protect children, who are more sensitive to pollution and thus extra vulnerable.
The giant city of Lahore is notorious for its smog, which covers its 11 million inhabitants every winter. The rain usually provides relief as the water soaks up dangerous particles, but not this year, as the winter months have been dry and cold.
Around half of all cases where children die from pneumonia are linked to dirty air, according to the UN children’s fund Unicef.