Children in the northern region of Bangladesh have been catching cold-related diseases at an alarming rate amid the ongoing cold wave and foggy conditions.
Farmhands and day-labourers have been unable to work as normal in the cold, and few people were seen outdoors in the dense fog that persisted through most of the day.
The minimum temperature was recorded at 9°C in Chuadanga and maximum at 26.7°C in Teknaf on Saturday.
Due to the severity of the cold, hundreds of children are being admitted to different hospitals in Barisal.
At least 160 children were receiving treatment at the 36-bed child-ward of Barisal Sher-e-bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH) on Saturday.
Doctors at the hospital said that they are seeing an increased number of child patients due to the sudden drop in temperature and severe cold.
Children are being treated on hospital floors as beds are limited, they said. Many of these children are suffering from pneumonia.
"The number of patients in the children's ward is increasing. We are providing treatment, but there are some problems due to space constraints,” Dr HM Saiful Islam told Dhaka Tribune.
He said that they were preparing 100 more beds at the hospital temporarily for children.
In Rangpur, at least 19 children died with cold-induced diseases including pneumonia in the past week. Doctors are finding it difficult to accommodate patients in hospitals, sources said.
Children and the elderly people are suffering from cold-related diseases in Bogra as well.
Dr Shafiq Amin Kajal of Bogra Mohammad Ali Hospital told Dhaka Tribune that there is a sudden pressure of patients at his facility. He has been advising parents to bring their children to hospitals without delay due to the severe cold.
Meanwhile, the district and upazila administrations, NGOs, business bodies, financial institutions and charitable organizations have intensified distribution of blankets, sweaters, mufflers and rappers among cold-hit people in the northern districts.
Met Office sources said the gap between minimum and maximum temperatures was reduced due to the lack of light amid the fog. Local people said the fog was affecting vehicular traffic and forcing drivers to use high-beams to avert accidents.
The situation saw a little improvement with the appearance of the sun from noon, making life easier for a couple of hours.
Rangpur District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Md Motahar Hossain said the distribution of 75,000 blankets to cold-stricken people of the district was ongoing.
"We are expecting to get more allocations of warm clothes from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief to further intensify distribution of the same among cold-hit poorer section people to mitigate their sufferings," Hossain told BSS.
Similar reports of disruption of normal life were received here today from Kurigram, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, and Nilphamari districts in the region.
Our correspondents from Rangpur Liakat Ali Badal, from Bogra Nazmul Huda Nasim and Rajshahi Anisur Rahman Swapan contributed to the story.
