Physicians at the hospitals said they are having trouble treating patients with respiratory tract infections, as the number this year is much higher than those in the last few years.

They added that no official survey has yet been conducted though the cold-related diseases broke out around three weeks ago after a sudden change in weather.

According to the hospital records, almost 60 percent of the child patients admitted to Dhaka Shishu Hospital, Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), Mitford Hospital, Suhrawardy Hospital, Institute of Child Health (ICH) and Shishu Hospital at Mirpur have been suffering from severe cold and respiratory infections.

"Two-thirds of the total patients at our hospital are down with cold-related diseases," Dr NK Ghosh, a junior consultant at ICH and Shishu Hospital, said last Saturday.

He said 400 patients a day on average take outdoor treatment at the private hospital.

The children's wards at the public hospitals are already filled to capacity and doctors said they have no option but to refuse many sick children every day.

Doctors at the DMCH and Dhaka Shishu Hospital do not give proper attention to the outdoor patients, alleged their relatives.

Sumi Begum of Islambagh said the doctor prescribed three medicines for her four-year-old son without even having a glimpse at the patient.

A doctor of paediatrics at the DMCH admitted that they do not have enough time to enquire about the problems of a patient due mainly to the influx of the infants and young children.

A doctor at the Dhaka Shishu Hospital said last Saturday, "We are struggling to attend every patient."

"When we release someone, the bed is filled up in no time," said a doctor of the hospital that can accommodate 481 child patients. He added that they give priority to those with worsening condition.

On a visit to the hospital last Saturday, people were seen standing in long queues in front of the hospital, seeking treatment of their dear ones.

The DMCH register shows that a doctor has to attend 80 patients on average during office hours since common cold and respiratory infections have invaded the child populace.

Meanwhile, child specialists suggest that parents should take their kids to a hospital or see a doctor if their children are having difficulty breathing, a fever for more than a day or two, wheezing, or audible lung congestion.

"If one is treated at early stage, they might not develop pneumonia or bronchiolitis," Jahangir Chowdhury, an associate professor at the Khaleda Zia Medical College Hospital formerly known as Suhrawardy Hospital, told The Daily Star.