India, Jan. 4 -- In an interview with The Sunday Guardian, Dr. Ankur Ohri, Pediatrician at Rainbow Children's Hospital, Delhi, sheds light on the rising incidence of childhood asthma in India's polluted cities, pointing to deteriorating air quality as the most aggressive trigger.

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A: We are experiencing a dual trend when it comes to childhood asthma. First, there was a genuine and alarming increase in the number of children with asthma symptoms. This real rise is deeply associated with worsening air quality, increased exposure to numerous indoor and outdoor pollutants, and the higher incidence of viral infections early in life. Such environmental factors grossly irritate the delicate, developing airways, rendering them hyper-reac...