/ Hospitals grapple with child patients

Saidul Islam, father of four-year-old Ayman Sikdar, was anxiously waiting in front of the ICU of Bangladesh Shishu Hospital yesterday. Inside, his son was fighting for his life after catching dengue fever.
Ayman, who was first admitted to a hospital in Mirpur on Saturday, was transferred to Shishu hospital as his condition worsened.
“Upon arriving at the hospital, the doctor immediately sent him to the ICU as his condition was critical,” said Saidul, a resident of Barek Mollar Mor, Sait Feet Road.
Four-year-old Aliza Rahman was also admitted to the hospital. Her condition deteriorated yesterday afternoon as her blood pressure continued to fall.
“We brought her to Shishu Hospital from a Farmgate hospital yesterday for better treatment, but her condition kept worsening,” said Saidur Rahman, Aliza’s father.
Saidul and Saidur are not alone.
The number of dengue patients at Shishu Hospital has surged in recent days, prompting hospital authorities to open a dedicated dengue ward on Sunday.
“We opened a dengue cell on Sunday to cope with the rising number of patients,” said Abdul Hakim, Public Relations Officer of Bangladesh Shishu Hospital.
As of yesterday, 154 dengue patients were hospitalised at Shishu Hospital, including 27 new cases in September alone.
According to the Directorate General of Health Services at least 3,339 children aged between 0 and 10 years were hospitalised with dengue across the country as of yesterday, with 1,340 cases recorded in the first 22 days of September.
Afroza Azad, mother of seven-year-old Azmi Binte Azad, blamed the negligence of the owner of a nearby under-construction building for her daughter’s illness. Azmi is currently receiving treatment in the dengue ward at Shishu Hospital.
“We live on the ground floor of a seven-storey building. The under-construction site next door has stagnant water, but they refuse to remove it. The city corporation has taken no action,” she said.
Dr HM Nazmul Ahsan, associate professor at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital, said dengue symptoms in children differ slightly from those in adults.
“While adults experience a sudden fever with body aches and eye pain, children tend to suffer from nausea and coughing first,” he said.
Infants and young children may cry excessively, develop a fever accompanied by nausea and coughing, and lose interest in breastfeeding, he added.
Dengue also progresses more rapidly in children, with symptoms becoming critical within 24 hours, compared to 48 hours in adults.
“Children are also more prone to developing shock syndrome, which poses a significant risk,” Dr Ahsan warned.