The seasonal cold-related diseases have struck a large number of people in the country as for the last few days a cold wave has been sweeping through the country, particularly the northern districts. According to a report of this newspaper at least 51 have died of cold-related diseases across the country this season. Cold-related diseases are usually not serious ones and death of 51 people just because of cold is very high. Among the dead, 17 died from respiratory complications, four from diarrhoea, and 30 from other ailments. Surely this speaks of poor health preparedness by the health ministry.

Before this present cold spell, the country witnessed another such spell. As in the previous time, now also hospitals are being crowded with patients of respiratory tract infections, diarrhoea, asthma and bronchitis. An increased number of patients with diseases like jaundice, breathing difficulties, skin diseases also are visiting hospitals. As with most extreme weather, it is the young and old people who suffer the most because of their physical vulnerability. Cold is the enemy of babies and children who cannot take care of themselves. A minor cold in a baby can aggravate to lungs infection if the problem is not addressed at the right time.

That is why pneumonia is among the three major causes of child mortality in Bangladesh. While guardians of minor ones have to remain extra careful during the cold season, hospitals of the country particularly the public ones must see that the treatment facilities of patients of all ages are adequate. According to the met office, the present cold wave will still be in the country for several more days.

Once this cold wave is over, surely it will not be the end of this winter, particularly for the people of the northern region of the country where every year cold is felt with greater intensity because of the region’s proximity to the Himalayas. Moreover, the concentration of poor people of the country is also larger in this region than other part of the country. Because of this, voluntary distribution of warm clothes is mostly seen in the northern districts. Public hospital facilities in the northern districts are lesser than the southern districts and this imbalance has to be addressed.