LAHORE (Reuters) - In the packed paediatric emergency room of a Lahore public hospital, parents holding sick children lined up for treatment this week, part of a surge of young patients caused by the air pollution crisis in Pakistan's second most populous city.
"We are disturbed and tense," said Mohamad Qadeer, holding a nebulizing device to his three-year-old daughter Rameen's nose, engulfing her face in a billow of steam delivering medication to ease her congested airways.
She and her one-year-old sister Inaaya are among thousands of children suffering from pollution-related health problems. Health officials estimated there has been at least a 50% rise in paediatric patients due to respiratory issues exacerbated by poor air quality in the last month.
Lahore, known historically as a city of gardens, is now choking with toxic smog that placed it as the world's worst for air quality last year.
As cooler temperatures took hold in November, air quality levels spiralled. Twenty-four of the last 30 days had 'hazardous' or 'very unhealthy' air quality, according to Swiss group IQAir.
"It has gotten a lot worse than the previous years and it is affecting the health of the children," said Dr Maria Iftikhar, senior registrar at Sir Ganga Ram hospital's paediatric department.
