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The air quality index (AQI) in Delhi has remained consistently in the 'severe-plus' category for the past few days, affecting healthy individuals and severely impacting those with pre-existing health conditions.
The crisis has led to hospitals in the national capital seeing an increase in patients with respiratory ailments linked to severe air pollution in the city.
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There has also been a rise in cases of "walking pneumonia", a term that healthcare providers use to refer to an illness that is less severe than full-blown pneumonia.
Bed rest or hospitalization are usually not needed, which is why it was nicknamed "walking pneumonia".
What Causes Walking Pneumonia
Walking pneumonia is usually caused by a common bacterium called Mycoplasma pneumonia.
Infections caused by this bacteria are generally mild but can be severe in some cases. It is often diagnosed by a physical exam or an X-ray.
Symptoms Of Walking Pneumonia
Walking pneumonia has flu-like symptoms, including fever, sore throat and cough.
A person with walking pneumonia also has some mild breathing difficulties that last longer than the standard three to five days of an acute respiratory infection.
How Walking Pneumonia Spreads
Walking pneumonia can spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and someone else breathes in those respiratory droplets.
It occurs most often in crowded settings, including schools and colleges.
Delhi Continues To Breathe Toxic Air
Delhi today woke up to another polluted morning with a thin layer of haze and smog engulfing the city. The air quality index (AQI), however, improved marginally but remained in the “very poor” category with particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) being the prominent pollutant, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
A thick layer of smog - a toxic blend of smoke and fog - has been enveloping the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) for the past few days.
The AQI had plummeted to the "severe-plus" category earlier this week, forcing authorities to switch schools to online classes and invoke strict pollution control measures.
An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, 401 and 450 severe, and above 450 severe-plus.
Delhi and the surrounding areas, which are home to about 7 crore people, consistently tops world rankings for air pollution in winter as cold air traps dust, emissions and smoke from illegal stubble burning by farmers in neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana to clear their fields for ploughing.