Children and elderly are getting sick more in severe heat wave. The patient pressure has increased at the children’s hospital in the capital, Dhaka. In the last few days, the number of patients in outdoor has increased by an average of three to four hundred. More children are coming to the hospital with fever-cold and diarrhea. But admission is more with pneumonia. Doctors said that the incidence of pneumonia usually increases in winter, but this time it is also increasing due to heat.
According to the information given by the hospital authorities, before the heat intensified, 700 to 800 patients used to come for treatment daily. However, at the moment, about 1100 to 1300 patients are receiving outdoor treatment every day with fever, pneumonia, diarrhea, asthma, common cold problems. At the moment, 87 people are admitted with pneumonia in the hospital.
On Monday (April 22), Bangladesh Children’s Hospital and Institute was seen on the grounds, with relatives waiting for tickets in the building on the left hand side as you enter the main gate of the hospital. There is a huge crowd in front of the ticket counter of the building. From here, parents are waiting for their child to be ticketed and shown to the emergency department or outdoor. Many people sit for the test by paying money for various tests. Visiting the different wards of the hospital, all the wards are full of patients.
Pneumonia usually occurs in the cold, but pneumonia is also increasing in the summer. Bacterial problems can cause pneumonia in children with weakened immune systems. Besides, children sweat in summer. And if the parents do not pay attention to it, the sweat will dry on the body. At this time, children can get pneumonia due to the attack of viruses and bacteria. Jahangir Alam
9 months old Tahmida Akhter is being admitted to seat number 16 of ward number two of Bangladesh Children’s Hospital and Institute. Mother is taking care of him. Uncle Zakir Hossain is standing next to him. He told Jago News, We are from Bhola. Tahmida is suffering from pneumonia for a month. First, when he fell ill, I took him to Bhola Sadar Hospital. After a few days there, when he felt well, he returned home. A few days later the problem occurred again. Then bring the child to the hospital. There is admission for six days.
Humaira, two years and four months old, is being treated for cold and fever in seat number 15 of ward number 2 of the hospital. They are residents of Mohakhali DOHS area in Dhaka. Sitting next to the mother is Sabina Akhter. He said, the girl suddenly started fever-cold cough. After that, I was admitted to the hospital with diarrhea.
According to hospital sources, many children are falling ill due to extreme heat. Among them, patients are mostly coming with five types of problems. Such as cold-fever, body rash, diarrhea, pneumonia and asthma. Among these patients, those suffering from pneumonia are being admitted more. Due to shortage of beds, most of the patients are being referred to other government hospitals for primary treatment.
Children’s hospital resident doctor Dr. Farhana Ahmed told Jago News, ‘Children and the elderly are most at risk in the intense heat. During this time, we are getting more children’s fever, cold-cough, typhoid, diarrhea, various skin diseases in summer, pneumonia. In recent days, the problem has increased even more.
“Children sweat a lot in summer. Dehydration occurs quickly in the body. They also have low immunity. They eat anything by mouth, don’t wash their hands with soap, they are more interested in different food from outside. Due to these reasons, children suffer from diarrhea. Besides, fever, cold, cough are happening in every house.’
He said, ‘Children should follow the health protection policy. For example, drinking boiled water, not drinking completely cold water, mixing it with cold water, carrying a water bottle while going out and not eating outside food. To wipe the sweat coming from outside. Bathe with normal water every day. Apart from this, children should be given seasonal fruit juice along with adequate amount of water.’
When asked what kind of measures have been taken to deal with the pressure of the patients in the Children’s Hospital, the director of the Children’s Hospital, Professor Dr. Jahangir Alam told Jago News, ‘When it’s hot, the pressure of patients in our hospital increases. More patients are being admitted. We try to discharge patients quickly to cope with this added pressure.’
“We treat pneumonia patients for 7-8 days. At present, we are making arrangements to give leave if their condition improves within five days. It is also good for families and other new patients can also be admitted. At present we need to admit more than hundred patients on an average every day. Another hundred people have to be released to make room for them. We were working on a ward. There are 26 seats. If they start today, 26 more patients can be admitted.’
He said, ‘We have formed a team called Emergency Fighters for emergency situations. They will provide emergency treatment. Besides, reserve doctors have also been kept. Measures have also been taken to ensure that there is no queue for one-month-old babies. Their condition will worsen this summer.’
Pneumonia patients are more
The director said, ‘As many as 19 pneumonia patients have been admitted in the last 24 hours (April 22). Now 87 pneumonia patients are admitted to the hospital. We are treating more pneumonia patients this year. As many as 514 people in January, 555 in February, 533 in March and three hundred pneumonia patients have been admitted so far this month. It may exceed five hundred.’
“Compared to that, admission of diarrhea patients in our hospital is less. Only five people were admitted with diarrhea this month. Diarrhea patients are not being admitted at the moment. I am giving outdoor treatment to those who are coming. Yesterday 53 patients came outdoor with diarrhea problem. Only one of them has been admitted.’
Pneumonia is usually a cold-related problem. When asked why the problem of pneumonia is occurring more during summer, he said, ‘Pneumonia patients are increasing here since 2022. But it may not be the whole picture of Bangladesh. One of the major reasons behind the high number of pneumonia patients is that our hospital has a dedicated floor for pneumonia. Where there are 33 beds. Of these, 16 are general beds, the rest are respiratory intensive care units. And there are three cabins.’
He said, ‘Pneumonia usually occurs in the cold, but pneumonia is also increasing in the summer. Bacterial problems can cause pneumonia in children with weakened immune systems. Besides, children sweat in summer. And if the parents do not pay attention to it, the sweat will dry on the body. It gets cold inside the body. Then the blood circulation is reduced. At this time, children can get pneumonia due to the attack of viruses and bacteria.’
The director also said that many children tend to eat cold things like ice cream and ice in summer. This causes the throat to become cold, then bacteria or viruses attack it. From there it goes to the lungs. It can also cause pneumonia in children.
AAM/ASA/ASM
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