The influx of child patients suffering from pneumonia, winter diarrhoea and other cold-related diseases has been straining hospitals.

The pneumonia ward at Dhaka Shishu Hospital and Institute was at capacity yesterday. In the first four days of the month, 139 children with pneumonia and 155 with diarrhoea were treated there.

Last month, the numbers were 216 for pneumonia and 69 for diarrhoea. In November and October, 227 and 292 children with pneumonia and 53 and 28 with diarrhoea were treated there.

"Children under five are particularly vulnerable to cold-related viral diseases," Professor Mahbubul Hoque, director of the hospital, told The Daily Star.

On January 3, temperature fell to 8.3 degrees Celsius in Panchagarh and 13.6 degrees Celsius in Dhaka, Met officials said. Temperatures rose slightly the following day, but meteorologists say there will be another cold spell by the end of this week.

At Panchagarh Sadar Hospital yesterday, a nine-month-old baby boy died three days after he was admitted there.

Junior Consultant Monowarul Islam said the baby named Mostakim had a cough, fever, and diarrhoea.

PNEUMONIA

At Shishu hospital, there were long queues of worried parents with kids in front of the outpatient sections yesterday.

Thirty-one children were admitted to the 681-bed hospital with pneumonia-related complications, according to data.

Eighteen-month-old Abrar Fahad was brought to the hospital from Hatia, Noakhali, on December 26 with fever, severe breathing difficulties and diarrhoea.

"He fell ill in late November but his condition deteriorated in the middle of December. Now he is needing oxygen support," said Abrar's mother Rabeya Begum.

"Doctors say his condition will improve, but it will take some time," she said.

According to icddr,b, more than two children die every hour from pneumonia in Bangladesh. Pneumonia remains among the top five infectious diseases to kill children under five around the world, accounting for 14 percent of 0.7 million deaths from the infectious diseases.

DIARRHOEA

Sixteen-month-old Adnan Labib had to be admitted to the icddr,b hospital with diarrhoea more than once in a month.

"Even after giving him oral saline, Labib is not recovering," said Labib's mother, Shimu Akter.

Officials said most patients come from Mohammadpur, Gulshan, Kamrangirchar, Ashulia, Mirpur and 20 other areas of Dhaka. Among the patients who are not from Dhaka, most are from Gazipur, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, and Keraniganj.

Two-year-old Mobassher Hossain from Rupganj of Narayanganj was admitted to the icddr,b on Wednesday.

His father, Ashraf-ul-Islam, said, "My son has never been this sick before. We don't know when he will recover."

In 2024, 675 children were admitted every day at the icddr,b. In the last 18 days, the average was 914.

Doctors say many of the recent patients are infected by rotavirus, a very contagious virus that causes diarrhoea.

Scientists at icddr,b had tested every 50th diarrhoea patient and found that 60 percent of them had rotavirus.

Lubaba Shahrin, an icddr,b scientist, said the main cause of the spike in cases was rotavirus.

Children should be taken to a hospital if they suffer excessive vomiting, cannot retain food, show behavioural changes, have  high fever, or pass blood in stool.

"If an oral rehydration solution is given and the patient throws up immediately, it's a sign that institutional care is needed," she said.

Clean water, warm food, and proper hygiene can protect children from diarrhoea, she said.