Though normally the city hospitals lack patients during the Eid holidays, little children with asthma, bronchiolitis, bronchitis, pneumonia and diarrhoeal diseases were found thronging the hospitals accompanied by their guardians.

The city drugstores also saw an increase in sale of medicines for treating cold in the last couple of days.

A total of 44 infants came to the emergency outpatient department of Dhaka Shishu Hospital till noon on Friday. Mostly under two years, they had been suffering from fever, cough, bronchiolitis and pneumonia, the medical officer of the hospital told The Daily Star. Thirteen of them got admitted, as their condition was serious.

A total of 107 children were admitted to the hospital between Wednesday and Friday, of which most are affected with different respiratory tract infections.

Zannatul, an eight-month-old girl, who has been laid up with pneumonia, was found struggling with an oxygen mask at the emergency outpatient department while waiting for admission.

Coming from city's Mirpur, the baby girl lost her mother at birth and had been looked after by her grand mother. "She has suffered from cold since she was born. Due to the past few days' extreme cold, her condition worsened," an aunt of the infant said.

Since the infants are in a process of growing up and their body resistance power is not mature enough, they get affected easily and suffer much, Assistant Professor of National Institute of Diseases of Chest & Hospital (NIDC&H) Dr Kazi Saifuddin Bennoor told The Daily Star.

The prevalence of asthma among the children has also increased in the last few days, he said adding that the number of patients coming to the Asthma Centre at Mohakhali for receiving treatment has almost doubled during this period.

"As cold weather is one of the triggering factor for asthma, more children are being affected by it. Besides, the lung and respiratory system becomes infection prone due to cold which leads to pneumonia and bronchiolitis also," he said.

In addition, diarrhoeal diseases have also increased among the children due to cold induced food poisoning.

As some viruses become more active in cold weather and do not expire if the food is not boiled or heated properly, the chance of children's getting rotaviral diarrhoea increases, said the medical officer of Dhaka Shishu Hospital.

"Though overall diarrhoeal diseases reduce in winter season, the proportion of children's getting affected in rotaviral diarrhoea increases this time comparing to that of other seasons," Director of Clinical Sciences Division of Institute of Cholera and Diarrhoeal Disease, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) Abdus Salam said adding that children under five years are mostly coming to the hospital with diarrhoea during the last few days.

At Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 300 children received treatment for cold related diseases at the outpatient department on Saturday. But the rate of admission is low as the condition of most children is not severe, the doctors said.

Cold related diseases have increased but it cannot be determined judging by the number of patients coming to the hospital as a huge number of people have left Dhaka for Eid, they said.

Senior Consultant of Paediatric department of DMCH Tahmina Begum said if the babies are found breathing fast and their chest in drawing, they should be taken to the doctors immediately as it is the sign of pneumonia.

Assistant Professor of DMCH Dr AKM Matiur Rahman said if the children are kept uncared and un-immunised, then it develops secondary lung infection and gradually pneumonia and bronchiolitis from viral fever.

Normally viral fever increases much in November to January, he said suggesting that necessary clothing, pure and safe water, nutrition, sanitation and routine care of the children are important to protect them from the diseases.