UNICEF urges countries to focus on air pollution and deal with it
UNITED NATIONS, Nov 11 (APP): In the wake of reports about
smog over New Delhi, Lahore and several other cities around the
world, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has called
on all countries to pay attention to air pollution and take
decisive actions to tackle the problem.
According to the UN World Health Organization (WHO), there
is a close, quantitative relationship between exposure
to high concentrations of small particulates (PM10 and PM2.5)
and increased mortality or morbidity, both daily and over time. This
type of pollution has health impacts even at very low concentrations
and no threshold has been identified below which no damage to
health is observed.
On the air pollution in Delhi, UNICEF said an
estimated 4.41 million children in the city missed three days
of school, earlier this week, following a decision to close
its 5,798 schools to minimize the risk for children to be exposed
to the polluted air.
It further said this is not just a challenge in
Indian capital, numerous other cities in the country, such as
Varanasi and Lucknow, as well as elsewhere in the world such
as London, Beijing, Mexico City, Los Angeles and Manila
have exceeded international guidelines - in some cases
by considerable margin.
Recent analysis by the agency has shown that, globally,
300 million children live in areas with the most toxic
levels of outdoor air pollution - exceeding six times international guidelines.
Highlighting that air pollution is a major contributing factor
to some of the most deadly diseases children face, such as
pneumonia, UNICEF cautioned that the pollution also affects
their overall health. Almost a million children under the age of
five die from pneumonia per year - and about half of those
cases are directly linked with air pollution.
"Studies show it is linked with and can exacerbate
asthma, bronchitis, airway inflammation, coughing and
wheezing. Illness associated with air pollution can
affect children's ability to go to school," the agency
said, adding "New research even points to
the effects it can have on cognitive development amongst
very young children." Those without access to medical treatment,
who are often the poorest, and those who have
pre-existing respiratory conditions, are most at risk.
Further in its release today, UNICEF said stronger measures
to cut back on the sources of air pollution.
"Air pollution moves across borders, both national ones as
well as subnational ones, and so we will need coherent
government policies to address these transboundary risks," it noted.
Also, providing children with access to good quality healthcare
is a major part of protecting them from air pollution, and
treatment and prevention programmes for pneumonia, as well
as other respiratory conditions, can significantly reduce the chance
a child falls sick or dies.
UNICEF also called for better monitoring of air pollution at
a global scale.
When a child, a mother, a father or caregiver know how bad the
air is on a real-time basis, they can begin to take actions
to reduce exposure," it stressed and urging pregnant mothers,
and others who are at especially high risk to do their best to
avoid areas where air pollution is at its highest.
Public knowledge on air pollution is a key first step to tackling
it - it is key to supporting government policies to reduce it, the agency stressed. Reminding that this week is also the first week of twenty-second Conference of the Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), popularly known as COP 22, UNICEF said: "Actions that reduce air pollution can not only improve children's health, but can also go a long way
to also reducing greenhouse gas emissions."
"As such, the argument for reducing air pollution could not be clearer.
And because we can - we must," underscored the agency.
ISLAMABAD, Nov 11 (APP): Minister for Capital Administration and
Development Division (CADD) Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Friday inaugurated pathology laboratory collection centre at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
Addressing inauguration ceremony here, the minister said the collection centre would ensure best diagnostic facility to patients together with professional staff and latest equipments.
He said online support had been provided to this centre and it had been
lined with all departments of the hospital. He added that soon data of the pathology lab would be available on internet and patients would be able to get their medical reports at home.
He said additional facilities, including added seating arrangement, had
been provided in the laboratory to serve the maximum number of patients and their attendants.
He said the new emergency department of the hospital would be
inaugurated soon.
The minister urged the medical practitioners of the hospital to serve
patients with full dedication and provide best medical care to them.
He said the ministry was efficiently working on the Prime Minister’s
health reforms, and in this regard, health infrastructure was being improved.
He added that steps were being taken to ensure best medical care to the patients at federal capital hospitals.
Fazal said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was taking personal interest in
improving the health system of the country by providing funds whenever and wherever required for any health project.
Vice Chancellor PIMS Dr Javed Akram said the pathology department would be computerized soon with having online medical reports facility.
He said that the government has assured sufficient funds for completion of various projects at PIMS.
Earlier, during briefing, the minister was informed that considering the
people’s problems, this lab center of pathology department had been established for easy collection of samples and medical reports.
He was informed that separate counters had been established in the
center for male and female patients while the number of expert doctors would also be increased soon.
