502 diarrhoea patients hospitalised at icddr,b in 12hrs
The icddr,b authorities said physicians and staff are facing difficulties in providing treatment as the hospital faces a huge pressure of diarrhoea patients.
However, patients are being treated free of cost.
As the hospital has crossed the capacity, the authorities have been treating patients setting tents adjacent to hospital.
In the wake of growing number of patients, another tent has been set up to accommodate additional patients.
As many as 502 people suffering from diarrhoeal have been admitted to the International Centre for Diarrheal Disease Research Bangladesh (icddr,b) hospital in the last 12 hours until 12:00pm on Thursday.
The icddr,b authorities confirmed the news to Prothom Alo.
Some 1,233 diarrhoea patients were admitted to the hospital in the previous 24 hours on Wednesday.
Among the admitted patients, 23 per cent suffer from acute diarrhoea and cholera, according to the icddr,b authorities.
Prevalence of diarrhoea started spreading in Dhaka and its neighbouring area. The icddr,b said it has not seen such pressure of patients in its 60 years of operation.
The icddr,b sources said 400-500 patients come to the hospital daily throughout the year. Patients start rising slightly ahead of rainy season. Number of patients usually starts growing at the last week of March. The highest number of patients gets admitted from mid April to the last week of the month. But the scenario is exceptional this year.
According to icddr,b authorities, the hospital received around 500 patients a day in the first week of March; the figure increased to about 600 a day in the next week. More than 1,000 patients started arriving a day since 17 March; some 1,216 and 1,233 patients were admitted on 21 and 23 March respectively.
Chief scientific officer of Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) ASM Alamgir advised people to boil water or purify it with tablets before drinking. No one should eat any foods without washing hands. He also advises people to refrain from eating street and stale foods.