KABUL (SW) – Officials at Indira Gandhi Children’s Health Hospital say that in the past month, more than 700 children suffering from seasonal diseases have been brought to this hospital for treatment, and 19 of them have died.
Mohammad Arif Hassanzai, the head of the internal department of this hospital, says that children under the age of five face the threat of seasonal diseases.
Regarding the ways to prevent children from contracting seasonal diseases, Hassanzai says: “Families should administer vaccines, ensure good nutrition and giving breast milk to infant children and keeping them warm.”
As the weather gets colder, diseases such as pneumonia, tuberculosis, colds and flu become more common.
Meanwhile, a number of patients and patients admitted to the hospital say that they are worried about the spread of seasonal diseases as the cold gets worse.
Zahra, a resident of Kabul, whose child has contracted pneumonia and is now admitted to this hospital, says: “It has been two days since I brought my child to the hospital and he is admitted. If he takes the medicine, he will vormit it again, and the change of season has caused my child to get sick.”
On the other hand, health officials say that every year with the increase in cold, the rate of seasonal diseases increases in the capital. They add that now, daily, about 300 people with seasonal diseases visit this hospital.
Ehsanullah Hakimi, a specialist doctor, says: “During this season, colds and flu, pneumonia and other seasonal diseases increase, and about 300 patients visit this hospital daily.”
A number of health experts consider extreme cold, inappropriate food and neglect of health issues as the main factors in the spread of seasonal and respiratory diseases.
ENDS
