Diarrhoea condition not easing in eight districts

Since the diarrhoea outbreak at the beginning of last month, the spread of diarrhoea has not subsided in the capital. Now after a month, the number of diarrhoea patients are increasing in different districts across the country including Dhaka.

From the beginning of March the number of diarrhoea patients at International Centre for Diarhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icrrr,b) hospital in Mohakhali started escalating. More than a thousand patients got admitted there on 16 March. And 1,274 patients were admitted within 24 hours on last Friday.

Meanwhile, in first the 16 hours on Saturday the number of patients admitted there stood at 861. Authorities say that among the admitted patients 23 per cent are suffering from acute diarrhoea or cholera.

Prothom Alo’s staff reporters and correspondents from seven district informed that, the number patients suffering from diarrhoea is on the rise in these districts. Hospitals are struggling to control the crowd of patients. Treatment is being provided to patients allocating them on the floors of different wards as well as on the corridors.

A total of 4,116 patients were admitted to Narayanganj General Hospital last month. The number was only 2,539 in March last year. Visiting the hospital on Saturday morning, six extra beds were seen spread on the corridor leading towards the diarrhoea ward.

During a visit to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital’s ward 37 last Friday afternoon, it was seen that all the patients lying in the corridors were suffering from diarrhoea. Last month, 3,477 diarrhoea patients received treatment in Rajshahi city and district. In February, the number stood at 1,967.

Meanwhile, 27 diarrhoea patients were seen admitted against 11 beds at Bhola 250-bed Sadar Hospital on Saturday.

Talking to five local medics of Bhola Sadar, Daulatkhan, Borhanuddin and Monpura upazila it was learnt at least eight to ten people are coming daily for oral saline and medicines for diarrhoeal diseases.

At present, 195 persons ailing from diarrhoea are undergoing treatment at the government hospital in Brahmanbaria. There are 30 beds in the diarrhoea ward of the hospital. Patients are being treated on the floor as there are no beds available in the wards.

Authorities of Brahmanbaria 250-bed General Hospital said 1,099 patients in February and 1,854 patients last March received treatment for diarrhoea.

In the last 12 days, 2,981 diarrhoea patients from Chandpur and its adjacent districts and upazilas came to be admitted at icddr,b's hospital in Matlab of Chandpur. On average more than 248 people were admitted in the hospital per day.

In Narsingdi, over three thousand people took treatment for diarrhoeal diseases at all the government hospitals in the districts between the second to fourth weeks of March. In that period three persons including a child died of acute diarrhoea there.

Lopa Chowdhury, resident medical officer at Narsingdi Sadar Hospital said although only four to five people came to the hospital for diarrhoea treatment during the first few days of March, the number soared to 80-85 since 12 March.

According to Barishal divisional office of the health department, at least 12,273 people suffered from diarrhoea in six districts of the division during the initial three months of the current year. Two of them died.

icddr,b has advised drinking boiled water. Health guidelines must be followed as well. Anyone contracting diarrhoea should have oral saline.

Even children are suffering from diarrhoeal diseases. After defecating each time, a child has to be fed saline water according to weight. Alongside oral saline, children aged less than two years must be breastfed also.