Twelve persons, including four children below the age of 12, have died in Lakhpat taluka in Gujarat's Kutch district days after the region was battered by heavy rains, with officials on Sunday saying the cause of death primarily appears to be pneumonitis. Some local district panchayat members, however, said doctors had not been able to accurately diagnose the fever, which was also causing difficulty in breathing. Medical services in the taluka, which is located near the border with Pakistan, have been intensified with the deployment of 22 surveillance teams, doctors and obtaining samples from residents to rule to possibility of H1N1, swine flu, Crimean-Congo fever, malaria and dengue, Kutch Collector Amit Arora said. "Primarily, the deaths appear to have been caused by pneumonitis. It does not appear to be from contamination nor does it seem like a communicable disease. Twenty-two health department teams are working in the affected areas, including those brought on deputation from .
BJP state president VD Sharma took to X to extend his condolences to the Union Minister
According to the Punjab Health Department, 942 new pneumonia cases have been recorded across the province in the previous 24 hours, with 212 new cases confirmed in Lahore
An outbreak of walking pneumonia, normally a mild infection, struck millions of children in the second half of 2023, creating Covid flashbacks and raising fears about another novel pathogen
Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a bacteria, is linked to the surge in children's hospitalisation in China
'Media reports claiming detection of bacterial cases in AIIMS Delhi linked to the recent surge in Pneumonia cases in China are misleading and inaccurate,' says health ministry
The Jharkhand government has put its hospitals on alert, asking them for surveillance, preventive measures and testing of respiratory illness cases in the backdrop of a mysterious pneumonia outbreak in China, officials said on Saturday. In a letter to the district administrations, Additional Chief Secretary for Health Arun Kumar Singh directed them to remain prepared and keep a constant vigil on the situation. "In view of the recently reported surge in respiratory illness, especially in children in Northern China, in the recent weeks, this is to bring to your kind notice that there is an urgent need to keep a constant vigil, monitor trends of cases and quickly respond to any emerging public health," Singh said in the letter. In view of the ongoing influenza, there might be an increase in respiratory illness cases, he said. "This is predominantly attributed to usual causes like Influenza strain (H1N1/H3N2/H5N1/H9N2 etc.), mycoplasma pneumonia, SARS-CoV-2, etc," Singh said. "In orde
In view of recent reports of a surge in respiratory illnesses in children in northern China, health departments in States and Union territories across the country have been put on alert
Union health ministry advised states to immediately review preparedness
The Centre has also issued an advisory asking for 'active and passive surveillance' of influenza-like illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) cases
With winters usually signalling the onset of the flu season in India, there has been an increase in people taking vaccinations for flu and pneumonia
The Union Health Ministry has advised states to immediately review public health preparedness in view of recent reports indicating a surge in respiratory illness in children in northern China. In a statement on Sunday, the ministry said it has decided to proactively review preparatory measures against respiratory illnesses as a matter of abundant caution. "This is noted to be important in view of the ongoing influenza and winter season that results in an increase in respiratory illness cases. The Government of India is closely monitoring the situation and indicated that there is no need for any alarm," it said. In a letter to all states and Union territories, the Union health secretary has advised them to immediately review public health and hospital preparedness such as availability of beds, drugs and vaccines for influenza, medical oxygen, antibiotics, personal protective equipment, testing kits and reagents, functionality of oxygen plants and ventilators, and infection control ..
Claiming no unusual or novel pathogens other than the seasonal ones were detected, China has sought to play down the global concerns amid surging cases of mycoplasma pneumonia and influenza flu, especially among children, in its southern and northern provinces. Even when China's widely-publicised exchange with the World Health Organisation (WHO) in response to the queries over the reports of surging cases of mycoplasma pneumonia and influenza flu triggered the worldwide alert, including in India, China said the spike in respiratory diseases was due to an immunity gap.' Both WHO and China have received global criticism for their non-transparent data/information sharing about COVID-19 and the world still has apprehensions over the emergence of the deadly virus in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019 which later spiralled into a massive pandemic resulting in deaths of and ill-health to millions of people across countries. In response to the media reports in China about a spike in children
Some of these increases are occurring earlier in the season than usual, although this is not surprising given the easing of COVID-19 limitations, as seen in other nations
The World Health Organisation asked China for detailed information on the increase in the cases of respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children
Local media has reported a steady rise in infections from a pathogen called mycoplasma among kindergarten and primary school children
Amid the rising number of influenza cases seen in the country, more patients are reporting pneumonia-like conditions and ear fullness, doctors said here on Saturday.
Respiratory infections contracted during early childhood are associated with an increased risk in death from respiratory illness between the ages of 26 and 73 years, according to a study published in The Lancet journal. The study suggests that, although the overall number of premature deaths from respiratory disease was small, people who had a lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), such as bronchitis or pneumonia, by the age of two were 93 per cent more likely to die prematurely from respiratory disease as adults, regardless of socioeconomic background or smoking status. Chronic respiratory diseases pose a major public health problem, with an estimated 3.9 million deaths in 2017, accounting for 7 per cent of all deaths worldwide, the researchers said. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) caused most of these deaths, they said. Infant LRTIs have been shown to be linked to the development of adult lung function impairments, asthma, and COPD, but it was previously unclear i
Pneumonia is the most common cause of fluid buildup in the lungs