Viral fever, infections with symptoms of cough, lung infection and fevers that usually end in September have persisted and steadily risen through October this year. The number of people complaining of throat and airway infections, in fact, have gone up by close to 20% in the past one week.

People with asthma and chronic bronchitis are having increasing trouble breathing over the past three weeks, with doctors estimating the numbers to go up by 30-40% of the normal after Diwali.

While short-term exposure causes airway and lung infections and aggravates breathing disorders, chronic exposure can lead to several life-threatening diseases. “Pollution kills. Every year thousands die of pollution-related ailments in Delhi and NCR during the winters when the air is extremely foul. Pollution is a silent killer; it does not directly kill anyone but aggravates existing diseases,” said Dr Randeep Guleria, director of All India Institute of Medical Sciences .

This year, there has been no respite from infections. “There is usually a rise in the number of people with upper respiratory tract infections in the end of August, when the rains stops and it starts getting colder. The next spike happens in October, when the temperature dips and the crop burning starts. There is a sharp increase after Diwali that continues to February of next year,” said Dr Vikas Maurya, head of department of pulmonology at Fortis hospital, Shalimar Bagh.

The rains this year persisted for a fortnight longer and the end of the monsoon was quickly followed by farm fires that polluted the air. “This year, the rains lasted well into September because of which the season-end infections occured late. These then sort of bunched together with infections and conditions associated with pollution, leading to more than the usual number of infections and respiratory symptoms,” said Dr Nevin Kishore, head of bronchology, Max Super speciality hospital, Saket.