More than 500 children have been affected with pneumonia at Shoronkhola upazila in Bagerhat since the first week of June, says an unofficial estimate.
Doctors have attributed the outbreak to the change of weather.
Of the affected children, over 200 were admitted to Shoronkhola Upazila Health Complex while the rest were treated locally.
According to the register book, 59 children with pneumonia symptoms were admitted there in June, 77 in July and 67 between August 1-20.
On Thursday, 11 children received treatment at the hospital. This number is increasing daily. Fortunately, no child has reportedly died from this disease yet.
Hafsa Begum from Pashchim Kodomtola, Sumi Begum from Rajoir village, Dulia Akhter from Sonatola village, and Shimu Begum from Uttor Kodomtola, have admitted their children to the health complex.
They told the Dhaka Tribune that many more children were affected with pneumonia in their villages, but they had not come here, preferring to treat their children locally. Normally, a guardian does not take their child to hospital unless the condition worsens.
The health complex has run out of pneumonia injections and so doctors are suggesting that the relatives of the patients buy the injections from outside.
However, most patients are poor and are struggling to buy these.
When Shoronkhola Upazila Health Officer Subrata Kumar Saha was asked about this all, he admitted the outbreak as well as the fact that the health complex had run out of pneumonia shots.