Hospitals filled with diarrhoea patients
Staff Correspondent
The spread of diarrhoea in the city and other parts of the country has sharply increased in the last weak, triggering a sudden influx of patients into city hospitals. During the last week, more than 500 patients have been admitted everyday to the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Control, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), popularly known as the cholera hospital, in Mohakhali. The ICDDR,B, admitted 522 patients on Sunday, 500 patients on Monday and 514 on Tuesday. "I came here (ICDDR,B) yesterday (Tuesday) with my six-year-old child. Initially we gave him primary treatment at home through oral saline, but as his situation deteriorated we brought him to the hospital," said Amena Akhter, a resident of city's Basabo. She predicted that her child might have contracted diarrhoea through drinking water supplied by the Wasa at his school or by taking roadside foods. An official of the Health directorate said countrywide figures for diarrhoeal attacks in 15 districts stood at about 1,000 as of Tuesday. Dinajpur, Natore, Jhenaidah and Feni are the most affected by diarrhoea, said the health directorate sources, who forecast a further increase in the coming days. The Health Directorate also estimated that about 96,000 people were affected by diarrhoea in 22 districts since last January, adding that only between 20 and 22 districts regularly inform them about diarrhoea disease. Our Feni correspondent reports that 200 persons were affected by diarrhoea in the last week in the district. Doctors said the attack is very usual and put the reason down to rising temperatures since March. "This is a very usual season for diarrhoeal attack. People tend to drink more in the scorching heat and possibly because of drinking contaminated water they become more prone to the attack," explained a medical officer at the ICDDR,B, yesterday. Doctors examining cholera patients at the ICDDRB said the simple and first line treatment at home for any diarrhoea patient is taking oral saline to regain body fluids. If the patient vomits, he or she should immediately be hospitalised, they said. Meanwhile, the weather forecast yesterday said the temperature and humidity are likely to decline over the next few days as they forecasted a nor`wester within a day or two.
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