The number of patients suffering from cold-related diseases has increased in the country due to the change in the weather, health experts said on Sunday.
People catch these diseases at this time of the year as the temperature varies a lot between day and night, they said, adding that common cold-related diseases like pneumonia, cough, running nose, fever, and diarrhoea had been spreading fast in the past few days.
‘We have received reports of pneumonia and diarrhoea cases from different parts of the country,’ Mahmudur Rahman, director of the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, told New Age.
He said mainly the hospitals in Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar had been taking in children suffering from pneumonia. But, there is nothing to be worried about as the flow of patients is quite normal for this season, he added.
‘Some common cold-related diseases like cough, running nose, and fever are spreading now,’ said Mohammad Shahidullah, a professor of neonatology at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.
He also said that they also had received an increased number of patients suffering from typhoid and jaundice, especially those with hepatitis A, in the past few weeks both at BSMMU hospital and their private chambers.
Shahidullah, also the pro-vice-chancellor of the BSMMU, attributed the spread of the diseases in the city mainly to dry weather and polluted drinking water.
The number of blood dysentery cases is also on the rise, he added.
Shahidullah said people should drink pure and safe water and eat safe food for protection against the water-born diseases.
The physicians also advised the people to wear warm clothes, avoid dust, and be extra careful about personal hygiene. They recommended that parents should keep their babies covered with such warm clothes that did not produce sweat, bathe them in warm water regularly, and, if a baby caught cold, sponge its body with warm water.
