As a heat wave is sweeping through Bogra region with the temperature ranging between 35 and 39 degrees Celsius, many children have fallen ill and hospitalised for treatment. The number of child patients is rising every day at the Bogra Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital, Mohammad Ali Government Hospital and the health complexes of 12 upazilas. They have been affected by viral fever, upper respiratory tract infection, diarrhoea, measles, and food poisoning over the past several days. Dr Shafiqul Alam, a child specialist of Bogra Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital, said if the hot weather continues, the number of sick children will increase sharply in coming days, he warned.
In order to avoid falling sick from the hot weather, children should wear light and loose clothes and stay in cool and well ventilated places, Dr Shafiqul advised. Every day 80-100 children are being admitted in to the child ward in Bogra hospital and about 300 patients are being given treatment at outpatient ward, Dr Mohammad Abdul Wadud of civil surgeon office of Bogra told this correspondent. Trisha Khatun, mother of an 8-day-old Jishan Babu, said at the Mohammad Ali hospital on Saturday afternoon that she took her kid with fever to the hospital. “My child is suffering from fever for the last three days. I have admitted him here on Thursday,” said Khatun, who came from Malipara village in Sajanpur upazila. One-year-old Rahima Khatun is also receiving treatment on the floor of the wards for shortage of bed. Sinthia Akter, a housewife of Bererbari village in Dhunut upazila, admitted her child to the hospital on Wednesday as he was suffering from cold and fever for days.
The number of patients continued to increase over the past week, said Papiya Khatun, a nurse of the hospital. The number of outdoor patients is also on the rise. From morning till 12:30pm on Thursday, 250 patients came to take treatment at the hospital outpatient ward. “Acute respiratory infection is seen rising due to change of weather; and children become the worst sufferers. Those who do manual labour in sunlight are also infected by various diseases,” said Dr Samir Hossin Mishu, resident medical officer of Bogra Mohammad Ali Hospital. “There is enough supply of medicine at the hospital and the patients are getting proper treatment here,” he said. However, Bogra civil surgeon’s office could not give any clear picture of the number of patients in the district. Dr Samir Hossin also advised that children should drink more water than usual on hot days and eat plenty of vegetables and chemical free fruits. They should also be encouraged to wash their hands before and after meals, and after using the toilet.