La Paz: Headquarters begins reporting cases of asthma in children and adults due to air pollution

La Paz, September 28, 2023 (ANF). – In view of the increase in air pollution levels in the city of La Paz, the health department (headquarters) began registering cases of children and adults suffering from asthma and other lung diseases. Health authorities direct health centers to carry out epidemiological surveillance.

Gabriela Mamani, head of the epidemiology and research department at the headquarters, said that so far “they have reported children and adults with asthma who had difficulty breathing yesterday due to air pollution”.

He explained that exacerbations of cases in people with chronic lung diseases, such as bronchitis, have also been reported, but there is no accurate data on the number of people affected.

Suffering from these discomforts, patients seek help at medical centers. “No one was admitted.”

On Tuesday, La Paz’s city government reported that the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) exceeded 208. According to the ICA, 0 to 50 is better; 51 to 100 is acceptable; 101 to 150 is harmful to the health of vulnerable groups; 151 to 200 is harmful to overall health; and 201 to 300 is very harmful.

Although rates dropped between Wednesday and Thursday, the La Paz city government remains vigilant about the incident.

Mamani noted that since the contamination is still being recorded, the headquarters directed all primary, secondary and tertiary health centers to initiate enhanced surveillance of these cases so that appropriate strategies can be adopted for future reported cases.

/VZS/FPF//