Country Shivers in Cold
7 babies die in Rangpur
Seven new born babies died due to cold-related complications in 24 hours till yesterday evening in Rangpur. Besides, several hundred people, mostly children and elderly ones, with similar symptoms are under treatment at different hospitals in the northern and southern districts as a cold wave has been sweeping the country for the last one week.
The cold spell and dense fog have disrupted life, economic activities and communications, and damaged crops, particularly Boro seedlings and potato and mustard plants.
Thousands of passengers in 200 buses on board seven ferries got stranded on Dalutdia-Paturia and Maowa-Keorakanda routes in the rivers Padma and Jamuna since Sunday midnight.
Communications with more than 100 shoals in the Jamuna have been snapped due to fog, causing miseries to people there.
Plying of rive vessels on major routes like Barisal-Bhola and Barisal-Khulna remained suspended for 6-8 hours, reports our Barisal correspondent.
People of low-income group, especially farm labourers, rickshaw pullers and those living under the open sky on roadsides or in makeshift houses have become the worst sufferers in the cold spell.
A Met official said yesterday evening the cold spell would continue for two more days.
The lowest temperature yesterday was 9.2 degree Celsius in Rajshahi.
In the capital, the temperature fell to 12 degree Celsius.
Our correspondents in Madaripur and Munshiganj reported that ferry service on Daulatdia- Paturia route resumed at 10:00 am yesterday.
A report from Jamalpur says: At least seven children have been attacked with pneumonia in Sarishabari upazila due to biting cold. The number of patients, mostly children, affected by cold has increased at the upazila health complex.
In Chuadanga, A moderate cold wave accompanied with dense fog has affected normal life.
A mild cold spell with thick fog is affecting life life in different northern districts– Rajshahi, Natore, Pabna, Bogra, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh– and southwestern region of the country.
The seven new borns– all under 25 days — died at Rangpur Medical College Hospital.
RMCH Director Dr Toufiqul Islam said all the babies were suffering from low weight, bronchitis, asthma and ecclesia. Intense cold worsened their condition. Their lives might have been saved if the incubators at the hospital were functional.
An RMCH source said of the 14 incubators for the paediatrics wards, only three were in order.
-With The Daily Star input
