Rain, dust or virus? Cause of illnesses in twin cities found

If you are a resident of Hubballi-Dharwad, you may have noticed an increasing number of people complaining of stuffy noses, body aches, fever and coughs that persist for a fortnight or even longer. For some, repeated visits to physicians have not brought complete relief from the lingering cough. Is the prolonged spell of illness linked to the rainy season? The twin cities have experienced inter mittent rain, persistent cloud cover and cool winds in recent weeks. Although the rainfall has not been as heavy as expected, the continuous drizzle and cooler weath er appear to have left many people vulnerable to seasonal illnesses.

At the same time, residents cannot ignore another factor — dust. Intermittent light rain followed by dry spells has created conditions for dust to rise, while extensive development work across the twin cities has added to the problem. Roads have been dug up in several wards for lay ing water pipelines, while major projects, including the ongoing flyover work, are generating dust and debris. But doctors say viral in fections, rather than dust, appear to be the more prominent reason for the rise in respiratory illnesses Dr Shylendra this season.

News Trail spoke to an official of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to un derstand whether the weather conditions and air quality could be con- tributing to the respiratory problems being reported by residents. The official, requesting anonymity, said the air quality in the twin cities remains in the satisfactory category. According to the official, PM10 levels, which are considered satisfac tory when they remain between 51 and 100 µg/m³, have largely remained within this range for several years.

PM2.5, which consists of finer particles capable of penetrating deeper into the respiratory system, has also remained in the range of around 31 to 60 µg/m³, the official said. The official noted that PM10 levels had crossed the satisfactory range and become a more se rious concern around a decade ago. However, the situation has improved since then. Hubballi-Dharwad has been selected un der the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), and a study by IIT Madras identified construction ac tivity, road dust and do mestic burning of wood fuel among the primary sources of air pollution in the twin cities.

Funds have also been released to the HDMC to implement dust-mitiga tion measures, including the deployment of water-fogging machines, the official said. However, the official added that the current rise in respiratory com plaints could be more closely linked to the spread of viral infections than to air pollution. Dr Shylendra DS, pulm onologist, said the inci dence of viral infections has increased this season, resulting in patients taking longer to recover from symptoms such as cough and body pain. “This season, we are seeing a higher incidence of viral infections, which is resulting in patients taking longer to recover from symptoms such as cough and body pain.

We commonly treat patients with pulmonary problems caused or aggravated by dust exposure. However, the situation this time is somewhat different, as the spread of viral infec tions appears to be more pronounced. As a result, more people are falling sick and experiencing prolonged respiratory symptoms. While dust re mains a concern, the in creased transmission of viral infections is currently a major factor,” he said. Senior physician Dr MC Sindhur said most of the respiratory illnesses being seen this season appear to be linked to season al infections rather than dust alone.