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| Urbab air pollution. www.pinterest.com |
The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) recently warned the public health officials that air pollution from petrol an diesel would likely increase mortality from novel corona virus in cities. The sustained dirty air in urban and semi urban areas that causes respiratory, cardiac and diabetes ailment would add up the overall death toll triggered by corona virus currently sweeping across the globe. Right from boom towns to boon dogs in the US and elsewhere are in the grip of corona scare. The health officials need to pay better attention to the increasing levels of emissions from petrol and diesel engines in metros that could affect the vulnerable in this hour of pandemics and also in the future. Patients with lung or heart conditions already affected by long-term exposure to air pollution are less able to fight off lung infections and more likely to die, according to European Respiratory Society (EPS).
This underlying health damage means respiratory infections, such as corona virus, may well have a more serious impact on people in the city and those exposed to toxic fumes, than on others. On the basis of a rough calculation a US expert postulates that tens of thousands of premature deaths from air pollution may have been avoided by the cleaner air in China, far higher than the 3,208 corona virus deaths.
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| Air-pollution. www.nationthailand.com |
Research work on the Mers coronavirus outbreak (in Saudi Arabia in 2012), showed that tobacco smokers were more likely to get the disease and were more likely to die. Early research on Covid-19 suggests smokers and former smokers are more susceptible to the virus. Covid-19 appears to have a lower overall mortality rate than Sars or Mers.
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| Delhi with high air-pollution. .downtoearth.org.in |
In the absence of mortality data of corona virus, on the basis of preliminary reports, the majority who died were elderly or who had per-existing chronic conditions such as heart or lung disease. According to the EEA - European Environmental Agency air-pollution causes 400,000 death across the continents annually despite air quality directives. In the case of Italy, northern part is a COVID - 19 hot spot because of high levels of PM -10 microscopic particles of pollution due to heavy vehicular traffic on the road. On march 15, 2020, the number of fatalities spiked by 368 to 1809 - more than half of the cases recorded outside China.
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| environmental impact. air-pollution. www.alamy.com/ |
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| air-pollution. alamy.com |
As far as India is concerned, air-pollution is a bad scenario in big as well as small cities and towns, part of the reason is none of the urban and semi areas across India have good tree cover. If you have large tree cover in urban space, it will cut down particulate matter considerably and people will have better air to breathe. Both the center and state government must give priority to reduce the prevailing air pollution as much as they can by planting more trees and by checking on automobile emissions on a regular basis. India is in the grip of corona virus attack, cutting down air-pollution, water pollution and giving priority to public hygiene will improve the overall mortality of the Indian natives. While the state and central governments are taking precautions, the people, in particular, senior citizens with pre- existing health conditions such as diabetes, heart and respiratory problems should take extra precaution when venturing out. It is the responsibility of Indian citizens to keep their place of living clean and tidy.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/17/air-pollution-likely-to-increase-coronavirus-death-rate-warn-experts
The new Indian Express (Tiruchi edition) dated: March 17, 2020. Page: 16:: ''Experts warns air pollution may increase novel corona virus mortality''
