Delhi recorded 2 lakh acute respiratory cases since 2022: Doctors blame toxic air

Over 2 lakh cases of acute respiratory illness (ARI) between 2022 and 2024 were reported in Delhi, new government data shows.

India’s biggest cities are coughing their way through toxic air and the consequences are now landing squarely inside hospital emergency rooms.

New government data shows that metro hospitals have high hospitalisations for ARI, with thousands of patients requiring admission.

The Ministry of Health, responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, called air pollution a major “triggering factor” for respiratory disease. The data was released after MP Dr. Vikramjit Singh Sahney questioned the rise in cases.

Minister Prataprao Jadhav said the government is closely monitoring things through a bigger, strengthened disease surveillance system.

"Health effects of air pollution are a synergistic manifestation of factors which include food habits, occupational habits, socio-economic status, medical history, immunity, heredity, etc.," Jadhav said in his written reply.

WHAT GOVERNMENT DATA SHOWS

The Rajya Sabha figures came from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which tracks pollution-related illnesses through selected monitoring hospitals. The data shared focusses on six such sites in Delhi.

The study looked at 33,213 patients, about 12.6% of all emergency room visits at these hospitals.

To help states



prepare, the Health Ministry said it issues yearly advisories and shares Air Quality Index (AQI) alerts, so hospitals can get ready for a rise in patients.

Poor air quality is worsening breathing problems among people who already have asthma, COPD, heart disease or weakened immunity, officials said.

The data arrives as doctors report a sharp rise in patients turning up with cough, wheezing, fever and dangerous drops in oxygen saturation on days when smog levels spike.

Six central government hospitals in the capital reported:

67,054 ARI cases in 2022, with 9,878 admissions

69,293 cases in 2023, with 9,727 admissions

68,411 cases in 2024, but 10,819 admissions — the highest yet

The decline in total cases in 2024 offers little relief: more people are becoming seriously ill, and doctors say that is the real warning sign.

OTHER CITIES SHOW A SIMILAR PATTERN

Besides Delhi, in Chennai, the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and Stanley Medical College recorded 1,647 ARI cases and 563 admissions in 2023, followed by 1,502 cases and 324 admissions in 2024.

Mumbai, meanwhile, saw an alarming spike in just one year.

The city registered 921 cases and 31 admissions in 2023, which jumped to 1,969 cases and 474 admissions in 2024, a more than fivefold increase in hospitalisations. Doctors say worsening smog and construction dust are major drivers.