Cold-related diseases take toll on public health in Bangladesh

Persisting cold continued to take toll on public health, especially among the children and the elderly people, as several thousand visited government hospitals every day for treatment for cold related diseases across the country.

In 24 hours until Sunday morning, 4,254 people were either admitted or treated for cold related health problems at hospitals in 296 upazilas, according to Health Emergency Operations Centre and Control Room.

‘We are asking people to be careful as their body may react to sudden fall in temperatures and sometimes that could be fatal,’ said the health operations control room in-charge Ayesha Akter.

The ongoing cold spell appeared suddenly in many parts of the country, including the capital, where the temperatures hovered around 30° C even until the second week of December.

But the temperature dipped suddenly after December 16 and the capital experienced its lowest 12.2° C temperature on Saturday.

Ayesha asked people to avoid going out at in the morning and evening as the temperatures tend to remain the lowest during the times of the day.

It has been six days that people in northern and western districts have not seen the Sun and in the capital the Sun was not visible for five days.

Since December 16, 36,838 people suffered cold related illness across the country.

The common cold related diseases or the diseases aggravated by cold weather include respiratory problems, diarrhoea, jaundice, skin disease, fever and many others.  

The health operations control room said that at least one death was reported related to cold weather in December.

Although in Met Office parlance winter arrives in December, low temperature is experienced in northern region far earlier.

The health operations control room keeps a register of cold related diseases from the first day of November.

At least 28 people were died related to cold weather in the month of November and 16 of them were children with breathing problem, said the health operations control room.

Quarter a million people suffered respiratory problems, diarrhoea and other diseases in November, according to the health operations control room.

Dhaka Medical College professor Khan Abul Kalam Azad said that reduced physical activities during winter might mean bad health for diabetic and high blood pressure patients.

He said that body metabolism reduces with fall in temperatures and also asked patients with kidney and liver diseases to remain alert.

New Age correspondent in Pabna reported that a total of 205 patients were admitted to Pabna Medical College and Hospital over the past three days. The hospital was overflowing with patients, many of them lying on the floor.

Pabna experienced of 9.5° C temperature at Ishurdi.

Pabna deputy commissioner Kabir Mahmud said that they distributed 38,000 blankets among the worst hit segment of the people.

New Age correspondent in Rangpur reported that at least one woman died and ten others were in critical condition after suffering burn injuries in a fire they lit up to get warm on Friday.

The deceased has been identified as Fatema Begum, a resident of Baliadangi, Takhurgaon.

The injured are being treated at Rangpur Medical College Hospital.

On Sunday, the Met Office recorded the country’s lowest temperature of 9° C at Chuadanga.

In the capital, the minimum temperature was recorded at 13° C.

The Met Office in its afternoon bulletin said that a mild cold wave was sweeping across Rajshahi, Pabna, Tetulia, Jashore and Chuadanga.

‘The sky would remain mostly cloudy throughout Monday,’ said meteorologist Abdul Mannan.

The weather may improve slightly in northern region on Monday, he said.

The Met Office said that moderate to thick fog may disrupt visibility at places across the country from midnight till morning.

Dense fog disrupted air and railway communication on Sunday.

Domestic flights were delayed by hours because of low visibility.

Kamalapur railway station officials said that dense fog disrupted their schedule throughout Sunday with many trains running hours behind schedule.

Kamalapur station master Nipendra Nath Saha told New Age that the Chitra Express on Dhaka-Khulna was five hours behind schedule when it arrived Sunday afternoon.

Two other Dhaka-bound trains from Lalmonirhat and Rangpur were two to three and a half hours behind schedule as they headed slowly toward Dhaka until Sunday afternoon.

Traffic movement on the highways remained normal for the first time in last three days when vehicles queued up for kilometres because of slow movement due to thick fog affecting visibility.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net