Worldwide, Covid-19 lockdown measures have seen a huge drop in difficult-to-control cases of asthma attacks, including in school-going children. It has taken a pandemic to understand the importance of school-related respiratory viral infections as one of the major factors of asthma exacerbation in children, and how masks can be a protective measure against this disease, experts have said.
“Before the pandemic started, over 60% of children who visited a paediatrician in India did so for respiratory symptoms, and a large proportion of these were for asthma. With the onset of the pandemic, the number of childhood asthmatics visiting a paediatrician plummeted by over 50–60%,” said Dr Sundeep Salvi, chair of the Chronic Respiratory Diseases Section, Global Burden of Diseases–India.
“This came as a surprise for doctors, as it was feared that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, being a respiratory predominant virus, would cause worsening of asthma. The reduction in the number of paediatric asthma cases visiting a healthcare facility actually came as a boon…,” Dr Salvi said.
Dr Gaurav Sethi, consultant paediatrician with a special interest in paediatric asthma, said new cases have gone down and episodes of asthma attacks been low. Extended lockdowns have also led to improved air quality.
Lockdown restrictions, schools being shut for in-person classes and social distancing have limited children’s physical activity and reduced exposure to environmental triggers, experts say in a study published in BMJ Open.
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The European Respiratory Journal has published observations from studies in Singapore, where researchers noted a sustained reduction in asthma admissions with PCR-proven respiratory viral infections that coincided with public health measures during the pandemic. A reduced number of motor vehicles on the road and shutting down of industries, which were major sources of air pollution, must have also contributed, Dr Salvi said.
No physical school: According to Dr Salvi, a potential explanation for why asthma in children plummeted during the pandemic is that children did not attend school and stayed at home due to the pandemic. On an average, a child develops between two and five respiratory viral infections during a year and this becomes the reason for exacerbations among children suffering with asthma. The fact that asthma exacerbations plummeted among children suggests that school-related respiratory viral infections were a major cause of asthma exacerbations. Similar observations have been made in other countries.
Hand hygiene, masks: Wearing a mask can be a very useful protective measure against asthma. While schools will eventually reopen, Dr Salvi and other experts have said children wearing masks when they attend school even after the pandemic is over will likely be the most effective solution to reduce asthma suffering and exacerbations.
Wearing a mask not only protects against SARS-Cov-2, but also against other respiratory viruses. Protection from ambient air pollution will be an added advantage. “We also need to continue with the behaviour of hand hygiene even after the pandemic is over,” Dr Salvi said.
Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it affected an estimated 262 million people in 2019 and caused 4.61 lakh deaths.
According to the latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) report, there are an estimated 3.4 crore asthmatics in India, of whom around 25% are children. Although India has 11% of global asthma cases, it accounts for 42% of global asthma deaths.
After the relaxation
With relaxations in lockdown-like restrictions, paediatricians have noted a slight rise in the number of cases of wheezing. Dr Umesh Vaidya, senior paediatrician and expert member in Pune’s Covid task force, said: “Rise in cases is usually a combination of weather and viral infections. Last year, there was a total lockdown and hence there were very few cases. With easing of lockdown restrictions, there has been some social interaction, especially as children play with each other and mild viral infections can trigger wheezing episodes. This month, we have started seeing a rise in cases.”
Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues .
Professional Background
Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature.
Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO.
Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives.
Awards and Recognition
Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.”
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care
"Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease.
Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose.
2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series)
Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs.
"For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune.
3. Lifestyle & Wellness News
"They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions.
At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents.
4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure
For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics.
Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far.
Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership
Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions.
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