Pollution-related flu causes 941 new respiratory patients in 8 months; doubles in 2 months (from 60 to 125).

The increasing air pollution in the city is now taking a toll on people's lungs. Amidst changing weather patterns, flu season, and pollution, there has been a rapid increase in the number of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and asthma. In the past two months, 235 patients were screened at the Civil Hospital, out of which 192 cases were diagnosed as COPD-related. Similarly, private hospitals are also seeing an increase in the number of respiratory patients being admitted to their pulmonology departments.