Mask has become essential in daily life Mask has become essential in daily life Pipa News

‘Sir, wear a mask because today is very crowded’. A security officer said politely after seeing a man coughing loudly as he passed through the gate at the airport security check. The man, already suffering from coughing, turned around and shouted, ‘Now nobody wears masks in India and now hundreds of people are not dying,’ the security guard was shocked and said, ‘You misunderstood, I apologise. I said because you are not feeling well and the airport is really crowded today’. As he walked away, the man paid little attention to the last line.

People are coming without masks. All of them are highly educated, most of them are financially able, but they are putting themselves at risk even in such an environment in flight. Even though they know that there is a potential virus threat floating around in the plane. On my last trip, I noticed that when someone in front of me coughs or sneezes a few times, the person sitting some distance away immediately puts on a mask from their handbag. Women wearing salwar kurta have an advantage compared to other people. They immediately pull away and cover their entire mouths, like they are riding a bike. This has been happening in large numbers since last December.

This is because severe and persistent cough has increased greatly this month despite being fully recovered from the virus. Generally, respiratory infections start to increase when the temperature drops, when pollutants are floating in the atmosphere, and this is the main reason why such incidents increase after December. Pollutants- Dense smog is increasing the problem for children. If you look around, the local administration is putting up smog and pollution control towers. These towers were installed in Delhi 18 months ago, while in Mumbai they are being installed this year. Beijing was the first city (2018) to install high-quality air purifiers to reduce smog. But this facility is like a drop in the ocean, but it shows how bad air pollution has become. And this activity tells about the threat to public health.

In medical terms, post viral cough lasts three to eight weeks, depending on the individual’s immunity. Doctors say smog and pollution are the cause of chronic illness. Children are more affected since last two months. If someone in your household has a persistent cough, ask them to cough three times a day until temperatures start to rise, hopefully by mid-February, when air pollutants begin to decrease. Don’t blame industries for increased chemical dust in the air. It cannot stop the growing industries and without it the economy cannot run.