Beijing (dpa) - Persistent thick smog in Beijing is causing cases
of respiratory diseases and strokes to increase, media reports said
Tuesday.
"We saw a 13-per-cent rise in the patients who have respiratory
problems from Saturday to Monday compared to the same time last week,
as well as a 14-per-cent increase in people with strokes," Li
Jianren, a spokesman for the 120 emergency medical centre, was quoted
as saying by the Global Times.
The capital's 999 Emergency Rescue Center said cases of
respiratory problems, including asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia,
had risen 30 per cent.
"In such weather conditions everyone should avoid unnecessary
outdoor activities," the news report quoted Dr Tong Zhaohui of the
capital's Chaoyang Hospital as saying.
There was increasing irritation on blogs as well as in the
state-controlled media that the Beijing Municipal Environmental
Protection Bureau was describing the conditions as "slight"
pollution.
Experts say that the combination of fog, the start of the period
when homes and offices are heated and dramatically increasing traffic
have caused the smog in the city of 20 million.
Beijing has been among the world's most polluted cities for years.
Copyright 2011 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH