Diwali crackers: At least 78 burn injuries reported in Delhi

New Delhi: Several cases of burn injuries were reported at various city hospital on Diwali while there was a slight rise in the number of people affected by allergy- related complications.

Doctors at big hospitals in the national capital said people from various age groups, sustained burn injuries from bursting of crackers.

At Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP) about 80 burn cases were reported.

"Out of these, 78 were minor burn injuries reported yesterday, so they were administered first aid and sent home. Two persons had suffered burns on their faces, so they were admitted," LNJP Medical Superintendent J C Passey told PTI.

In city's Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital and the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH), 57 and 26 burn cases were respectively reported on Diwali, officials said.

"All cases were minor injuries, so they just needed first aid. The government and RML hospital authorities had created a lot of awareness through campaigns, so this may have led to lesser number of cases," a senior official at RML Hospital said.

"Out of 26 burn cases due to bursting of firecrackers, one was serious, and that person was admitted," SGRH authorities said.

Besides, fire-related injuries, the city also saw cases of allergy and asthma complications being reported on Diwali, though the doctors said since the 
city's air has been polluted for a long time, so the number of cases showed "no marked rise".

"Allergy, asthma and respiration-related complication cases have been coming at the hospitals on other days too. We didn't find any rise in them but yes, it was slightly more than reported on regular days," Passey said.

"People suffering from bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis and other such ailments are more likely to develop such complications during Diwali due to fumes and smoke and pollution. But, it is only in first 2-3 days of Diwali that we see such cases, after which it declines," he added.

Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, the premier pulmonary institute here said, the rush of patients to emergency ward was as usual.

"One can say there was a slight increase but the real picture will come out only after 2-3 days," VPCI Director (Acting) S N Gaur said.

According to a recent WHO report, Delhi was ranked among the top 20 cities worst-affected by pollution globally.

According to a new UNICEF report released today, 220 million children in South Asia region including India, among nearly 300 million globally, currently live in areas where outdoor air pollution exceeds international guidelines by at least six times.