A device that makes doc visit easy for your child

 Every year, during winter (November-December) primary schools in Delhi are shut down for several days to save kids from air pollution.

 Children are among the most vulnerable to pollution as their lungs and immune system are still developing and their respiratory tracts, more permeable, leading to respiratory illness and other health issues.

But shutting down schools is of no use, if the objective is to save lives. A large number of children in India die every year, due to air pollution, according to the medical journal Lancet.

Under five years mortality rates in India, due to air pollution is estimated at 8.8 per cent.

 Lives can be saved only if there are reliable screening devices to assess the damage to the lungs. But doing screening tests in young children is easier said than done, as kids are not known for their hospital and doctor friendly ways.

 “Many a time kids get irritated and refuse to do the test at all,” said Joginder Singh Dhankhar, pediatrician, Dhankar Nursing Home, Sonipat, Haryana.

Under existing Spirometry, a common test used by pediatricians to diagnose asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other conditions that affect breathing, children have to forcefully exhale and inhale to find out how well their lungs work.

 “Spirometry is not very useful in children under 12, as they are not able to do exhaling and inhaling properly to obtain the right results,” said Dr Dhankhar.

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