At least 36 children have died of pneumonia caused by cold weather in the past week in Pakistan’s Punjab province, prompting authorities to impose a ban on morning assemblies in schools, an official statement said on Thursday, PTI reported.
The move to impose a ban on morning gatherings until January 31 comes as the province has also seen a rise in cases of pneumonia among school children, apart from 36 deaths caused by it.
“Last week at least 36 children died of pneumonia in Punjab province due to extreme cold. The government was forced to impose a ban on holding morning assemblies in schools until January 31 due to extreme cold,“ said a statement issued by the Punjab government.
The vacation is also announced until January 19 for nursery and preparatory group classes.
Concerned about the situation, officials also issued basic health instructions for children to protect them from the cold weather.
“Children should wear masks, wash their hands and wear warm clothes to prevent them from getting pneumonia,” it is stated and adds that eight out of 10 children suffer from pneumonia in the Children’s Hospital in Lahore.
It states that children who complain of a cough, fever or sore throat should not be sent to school.
“Last year, 990 children died of pneumonia in Punjab,” it said and expressed serious concern over the rise in cases of pneumonia among children in the province.
Following the situation, Punjab’s caretaker chief minister Mohsin Naqvi held detailed consultations with senior doctors regarding taking preventive measures to save children from pneumonia.
