Shawdesh Desk:

Around 80 people died of acute respiratory infection (ARI) and pneumonia and over 52,000 infection cases were reported in the last two months across the country, including in Dhaka.

The number of patients, including children and elderly people, suffering from cold-related diseases has increased across the country, including in Dhaka city, as temperature has dropped for the last few weeks.

However, this winter comes with additional concerns as health experts fear surge in other diseases, including asthma-related complications and diarrhoea, and transmission of highly contagious new sub-variant of Omicron coronavirus.

According to data provided by the Control Room of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), 52,393cases of acute respiratory infection (ARI) and pneumonia were detected and 78 people died of the diseases across the country, including in the capital, from November 14 till January 12.

Meanwhile, 3,33,902 diarrhoea patients were reported while three of them died in the country during the same period, the DGHS data added.

Sources from different hospitals in Dhaka and other parts of the country said people, including children and the elderly, with cold-related disease are rushing to the hospitals while many others are taking over the counter medicine to cure the diseases.

While visiting different hospitals of Dhaka city, including Dhaka Shishu Hospital, Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital and 250-bed Shyamoli TB Hospital, this correspondent found many patients — children and elderly people –suffering from cold-related diseases like fever, cough, runny nose and breathing problem.  The patients visited doctors at the Out Patient Department (OPD) of the hospitals and took treatment.

Alongside taking treatment at the hospitals’ OPD, a number of patients especially children and elderly people were also admitted to the hospitals with the cold-related diseases, including severe pneumonia.

The patients were taking treatment in the public and private hospitals. They are also rushing to the private chambers of the doctors to take treatment.

Talking to the Daily Sun, some people in Dhaka city said their children have been suffering a lot due to the cold-related diseases like pneumonia, acute respiratory infection (ARI) and fever, but the diseases are taking more than a week to cure this season.

Zaman, father of a four and a half years old baby girl named Mehnaz in the city’s Mirpur area, said his child has been suffering from cold-related diseases like runny nose and cough for over one week.

Health experts said people are affected by various types of cold-related diseases, including acute respiratory infection (ARI), pneumonia, asthma, diarrhoea and jaundice, during winter season.

They said children face various types of cold-related diseases, including diarrhoea, caused by rotavirus and pneumonia during winter and the diseases sometimes become severe while the adult people suffer from various types of the cold-related diseases, including asthma.

“The number of patients suffering from cold-related diseases has increased in our hospital manifold in the current month while the number of such patients started increasing since November,” Prof Dr Md Jahangir Alam, Director of Bangladesh Shishu Hospital & Institute, told the Daily Sun.

Mentioning that more than 25 percent of the cold-related patients increased in the current month at the Out Patient Department of the hospital, he said the number of pneumonia patients has also increased.

“Some 309 pneumonia patients were admitted to our hospital in November, 433 in December last year and 163 in only 12 days of the current month [January] this year,” Jahangir Alam said.

Mentioning that many children were affected with various types of cold-related diseases like common cold, asthma and pneumonia, the doctor advised people to remain alert and keep their children protected from cold this winter.

Prof Dr Ahmedul Kabir, a medicine specialist, said, “Cold-related diseases are problem during this winter. We have to remain alert and take preventive measures against these diseases.”

He said usually during winter, people suffer from various types of diseases, including increased asthma problems, respiratory infection, allergic problems, breathing problems and diarrhoea. “Children particularly suffer from pneumonia and respiratory infections during cold wave,” he added.

Dr Kabir advised people to wear mask, maintain hygiene, increase physical activity, keep arrangement of proper ventilation in living rooms and keep children protected from cold during the winter.

Dr Manjur Hossain Khan, assistant professor at department of virology at IEDCR, said some cold related diseases like common cold, rotaviral diarrhoea, influenza and RSV affect people during winter.

“People have to remain alert about the cold-related diseases and maintain preventive measures like maintaining proper hygiene and sanitation, avoidance of finger-to-eyes or finger-to-nose contact, and coughing and sneezing into arm,” he said.

The health experts feared that amid the fear of spreading new sub-variant of Omicron coronavirus, people may become very susceptible to corona virus like other respiratory viruses and flu-like diseases during this winter due to low humidity, less sunlight, mild vitamin D deficiency and impaired immunity.