As the mercury drops and a biting cold wave grips the country, hospitals and clinics are seeing a surge in patients suffering from cold-related illnesses, with children and the elderly bearing the brunt. Respiratory distress, pneumonia, coughs, colds, fever and diarrhoea are now filling wards in Dhaka and districts nationwide.
Six-year-old Alayna Rahman, a Class One student, is one of many battling the winter's wrath. Admitted to a private hospital in Siddheswari, Dhaka, she had struggled with cold complications for several days before developing breathing difficulties on Sunday morning.
Her father, Hasib Rahman, said, "As the cold worsened, my daughter started having breathing problems. After a day of nebulisation and medication, she is now slightly better."
The crisis is not confined to the capital. In Singair upazila of Manikganj, over-70-year-old Sayra Khatun is facing diarrhoea, cough, cold, and difficulty breathing-conditions that worsen every winter. Her son, Sabbir Ahmed, said, "Phlegm has built up in my mother's chest and she is being given nebulisation. Many children and elderly people in our neighbourhood are suffering from colds, fever and diarrhoea."
According to the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), winter severity has increased nationwide since the beginning of Paush. Dense fog may form from midnight to morning over the next few days, sometimes persisting until noon, potentially disrupting road, river, and air traffic. The biting cold gripping the country is set to persist through Wednesday, as dense fog continues to block sunlight across large swathes of the country, it says.
