During the months after Diwali in 2025, the Punjab state and nearby areas reported high health conditions, particularly fever, throat infections, and dysphagia symptoms. Officials blame this on the high pollution due to the bursting of firecrackers and burning farm wastes, which worsens throat and respiratory ailments.
Health care professionals were attending patients with throat infections, dysphagia, cough, and fever, all of which are symptoms of viral infections and compounded by pollution. Suggestions were wearing masks, remaining indoors, and early visits to the doctor when there is high pollution.
Though there is limited official data, health departments have informed the rise in flu-like symptoms due to post-Diwali spikes in the level of pollution, reported all over northern India, which raises serious health concerns.
To determine the real reason, present scenario, and remedies, True Scoop spoke with Dr. Naresh Bathla, former civil surgeon and in-charge chest department at Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences.
Dr. Bathla confirms that bad air quality is making most people sick in Punjab and the surrounding areas, especially after Diwali. Even healthy people have problems; asthmatics in particular have severe respiratory issues because of dust and lung inflammation.
Other than respiratory problems, all of them have fevers and flu for 10-15 days. Poor food eating habits during Diwali, like outside and sweet foods that weaken immunity, are also responsible according to Dr. Bathla, to spread infections within families.
He cautions that the disease may not be flu at all but could be corona or viral and requests people to not neglect symptoms or self-medicate but take due medical consultation and testing.
Precautions by Dr. Bathla are avoidance of exposure from outside, scheduling morning walks after 10-11 am when dust settles down, being clean, and for asthma patients, taking inhalers and avoiding exposure.
General guidance is to avoid outside food, eat home food, drink warm water regularly, and never use cough syrups without doctor's advice due to side effects risks.
Prevention is the best cure, healthy diet, minimization of diseases through doctors' instructions at the very onset of ailment.