ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is bracing for one of its most hazardous smog seasons in years as the National Institute of Health NIH issued a nationwide alert on Tuesday warning of escalating respiratory and cardiac illnesses. The advisory urges the public to limit outdoor exposure, wear N95 or KN95 masks and prepare for dangerous pollution levels now gripping major cities.
The NIH’s Centre for Disease Control circulated the advisory to all provinces with instructions to initiate immediate preventive measures. Senior officials confirmed that Lahore, Multan, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi and even Islamabad continue to record hazardous Air Quality Index AQI levels. Experts cautioned that fine particulate matter is now routinely penetrating deep into the lungs and bloodstream, putting millions at risk. According to NIH officials people should avoid outdoor activity during peak smog hours and use proper air purifying masks for essential travel.
The advisory highlights that Pakistan’s air quality has sharply deteriorated over the past decade. Dense winter smog driven by cold air entrapment vehicle emissions brick kiln smoke industrial pollutants and crop burning is now disrupting health and daily life nationwide. Lahore has topped global pollution charts multiple times since 2024 with AQI readings surpassing 400. Similar pollution spikes across other cities have resulted in a surge in hospital visits and rising cases of respiratory distress. The NIH warned that PM2.5 exposure poses severe risks to children the elderly pregnant women and individuals with asthma heart disease COPD or diabetes.
The guidelines call for strict public precautions including limiting outdoor activity keeping windows closed using HEPA equipped air purifiers avoiding indoor smoke and staying adequately hydrated. People experiencing worsening symptoms have been urged to seek immediate medical care. At a broader level the NIH recommended tougher enforcement of emission laws cleaner fuel transition improvements in public transport and sustained public awareness drives. It also stressed the need to curb crop burning and ensure compliance of brick kilns and vehicles with emission standards.
According to officials the advisory has been dispatched to federal and provincial departments healthcare commissions major hospitals district administrations and armed forces medical units. The NIH emphasised that its message must reach every household as smog is no longer an environmental issue alone but a serious public health emergency. Officials reiterated that preventive care remains the only immediate protection in the absence of long term pollution control.
The agency warned that without urgent policy action Pakistan will continue to experience worsening smog episodes each winter placing vulnerable communities at higher risk and exerting further pressure on already strained healthcare facilities.
