Punjab reports record 490 new cases of pneumonia

LAHORE: A record 490 new pneumonia cases were reported in a single day on Monday. According to the health ministry, one person also succumbed to the disease.

Within the provincial capital, Lahore, alone, 134 new cases were recorded within 24 hours.

Meanwhile, thirteen children lost their lives due to the disease on Sunday.

Read more: Pneumonia claims ten children’s lives in a single day

The health ministry on Sunday also reported a total of over 600 cases within 24 hours in the most populous province in the country.

Since the beginning of the year, the lung disease has claimed the lives of more than 28,000 people in Pakistan.

Experts point to the dry, cold weather conditions and air pollution, particularly smog for the rise in pneumonia cases across the country.

Pneumonia, an infection affecting the lungs, can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. Initial symptoms resemble those of a common cold, before progressing to more severe ones such as fever, chills, difficulty breathing, and coughing up discoloured mucus.