Cold-related illnesses have spread throughout the country

Cold-related diseases have started spreading across the country, including the capital, at the beginning of winter, affecting people, mainly children and the elderly.

The common cold and flu like disease are now around the corner as the temperature dropped over the last few days across the country.

However, this winter comes with additional concerns as health experts fear surge in other communicable diseases, including asthma related complications.

Health experts have advised people, particularly children and the elderly, to remain alert about the cold-related diseases, including diarrhoea, flu type diseases and pneumonia.   “The number of patients suffering from cold related diseases has increased in the country for the last few days. However, data is not available yet in this regard. We can tell you about the real scenario after getting data from the hospitals across the country,” Dr Ishrat Jahan, Medical Officer at Control Room of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), told the Daily Sun.

Sources from different hospitals in Dhaka and other parts of the country said people, including children and the elderly, with cold-related disease have already started rushing to the hospitals.

While visiting different hospitals in Dhaka city, this correspondent found that a number of patients -- from children to elderly people --suffering from cold-related diseases like fever, cough, runny nose and breathing problem visited doctors at the Out Patient Department of hospitals and private chambers of doctors.

On the other hand, a large number of patients are taking over the counter medicine instead of visiting doctors or hospitals.

Talking to the Daily Sun, some people of the capital said their children have been affected by the cold-related diseases but the diseases are taking more than a week to cure this season.

Raisul Islam, father of two-month-old child Rehan in the city’s Mirpur area, said his child has been suffering from acute respiratory infection for over two weeks.

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.

“The number of patients suffering from cold-related diseases has increased in our hospital. But we fear that the number of patients of cold-related diseases may increase after around a week,” Dr Md Kamruzzaman, assistant professor at the Department of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine of Bangladesh Shishu Hospital and Institute, told the Daily Sun.

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

The icddr,b sources said the number of diarrhoea patients has also been increased as around 600-700 diarrhoea patients are rushing to the icddr,b Dhaka hospital daily while usually 400-500 diarrhoea patients come to take treatment there, the hospital sources said.

Dr ASM Alamgir, former Principal Scientific Officer at IEDCR, said people usually are affected by various types of diseases, including common cold, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection and four types of seasonal corona virus during winter season.

He advised people to remain alert and stay protected from cold to prevent the cold-related diseases.

Prof Dr Ahmedul Kabir, a medicine specialist, said, “Dengue and 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, avoid public gathering, maintain hygiene, increase physical activity, keep arrangement of proper ventilation in living rooms and keep children protected from cold during the winter.

The health experts feared that people may become very susceptible to coronavirus like other respiratory viruses and flu-like diseases during the winter due to low humidity, less sunlight, mild vitamin D deficiency and impaired immunity.