Respiratory infections on rise among school children

Three-year study by Chest Research Foundation finds 5% increase in infections, blames vehicular pollution

Respiratory infections on rise among school children

Three-year study by Chest Research Foundation finds 5% increase in infections, blames vehicular pollution

The lungs of city schoolchildren are suffering because of increase in pollution. That is what a three-year study by the Chest Research Foundation (CRF) has revealed, as it found respiratory tract infections had gone up by 5 per cent. The ongoing study, underway since 2008 and for which the CRF has tied up with the Symbiosis Centre for Healthcare, monitors the health of the lungs of students in the 5-10 years age group. The students undergo a weekly check-up at the Symbiosis school. According to Dr Sundeep Salvi, coordinator of CRF, the study will take place this year as well.

Vulnerable: The study found that lung function in children between the
ages of 5 to 10 was decreasing

"In 2010, about 1,088 children were enrolled in the study, compared to 1,855 children in 2008. Even cases of wheezing went up from 4.6 per cent of those studied in 2008 to 7.8 per cent in 2010," Salvi said. "This means that the respiratory health of children is suffering." According to the study, one of the major reasons for poor respiratory health of students is the deteriorating quality of air and the rise in pollutants, a fallout of the increasing motor vehicular pollution.

Salvi said that during the study, scientific tests were conducted to check the lung function of students.
"It was quite shocking to know that the lung function in such small children was decreasing. We also had a questionnaire to evaluate the reasons and we found that one of the main culprits was vehicular pollution, which is especially a problem in urban areas as children are exposed to decreasing air quality. Besides that, another reason was fungi on walls, which causes allergic reactions, and this was especially seen in homes of children where drainage facilities are not proper and water-logging leads to damp conditions," Salvi said.

In light of these findings, researchers recommend annual health checks for students. They also say that a check should be kept on indoor and outdoor pollution by maintaining hygiene at home and increasing the green cover in and around the city.

Asthma alert
In 2003, the CRF had conducted a study on 4,000 children in some 17 schools that showed a 2.9 per cent prevalence of asthma. The study, when repeated in 2008, showed 5.4 per cent prevalence of asthma in the same population studied. The study pointed towards an increase in asthmatic prevalence in schoolchildren.