COLD WAVE : Hospitals flooded with pneumonia, bronchitis-infected children [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

COLD WAVE : Hospitals flooded with pneumonia, bronchitis-infected children

Local January 25, 2016

Kids infected with pneumonia, bronchitis and other diseases caused by cold weather flooded hospitals across the country.
During visits to several hospitals in the capital on Sunday, New Age found that t the beds for children were fully occupied.
This was the picture at Dhaka Shishu Hospital as well as at the children wards of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Doctors and on-duty nurses said that child bronchitis patients accounted for the second highest number of admitted infected patients.
The rush of children suffering from cough, fever, asthma and cold allergies also increased at the out patient departments of the hospitals.
Over the last few days, the number of children seeking admission or taking treatments at the OPDs increased by over two times, Dhaka Shishu Hospital director Professor Manzoor Hussain told New Age.
The scenario was no different in Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Jesore, Rangpur, Sylhet, Barisal, Jhenaidah, Moulavibazar and the other outlying districts, reported New Age correspondents.
Professor Manzoor advised parents keep their children indoors and away from crowded places where the risk of coming into close contact with infected persons was higher.
He also advised parents to immediately to consult doctors if their children get no easy from cough, fever and breathing problems.
Bangladesh Pediatric Association president and BSMMU pro vice chancellor or Mohammod Shahidullah advised parents to bathe their children with warm water.
He said that the children could be taken outdoors only if it was essential with the needed warm clothing.
He also called for ensuring that icy winds cannot enter into children’s rooms.
The biting chill with icy winds might continue for a day or two, weatherman Muhammad Abul Kalam Mallik told New Age.
On Saturday, all the 640 beds at Dhaka Shishu Hospital had child occupants.
The picture was the same at the neonatal, pediatric and general children wards at BSMMU and DMCH.
More often as the parents provide only shirts to their children, they easily develop cold infections on their uncovered parts notably the necks, legs and heads, said on-duty doctors at DMCH and BSMMU.
Often the issue is not the shortage of clothes but the lack of parents awareness to keep their kids properly covered in winter, said Paikgachha Upazila Health Complex medical officer Mithun Devnath.
Mithun who attends child patients at the OPD said that on a average he provided treatment to 50 children in last three days, 20 more than on normal cold days.
The cold wave sweeping across parts of the country might continue, predicted the Met Office.
On Sunday, the lowest temperature of 6.1 degrees Celsius was recorded in Chuadanga.
In the capital the day’s lowest temperature was recorded at 11.4 degrees Celsius and the maximum at 22 degrees Celsius.
New Age correspondent in Khulna reported that 383 patients were under treatment as admitted patients of cold-related diseases at the 280-bed Khulna Shishu Hospital. Most of the patients were from the slums in the port city and the rural areas of the district.
Biting chill together with icy winds caused disruptions to normal life in Rajshahi, Rangpur, Pabna, Bogra and Jhenaidah, reported New Age Correspondents.