Barishal sees sharp rise in diarrhoea cases
Cases of diarrhoea have risen alarmingly in Barishal in the last three days.
Barishal General Hospital (BGH), one of the biggest diarrhoea treatment centres in the country's southern region, is currently treating diarrhoea patients three times its normal flow, said physicians.
Upon a visit to BGH yesterday, patients were seen receiving intravenous saline on the corridors of the hospital.
“BGH is a hundred-bed hospital, and only four beds are allotted for diarrhea patients. But we are now treating 30-40 diarrhoea patients every day,” said Dr Delowar Hossain, resident medical officer of BGH.
“Spreading of diarrhoea in summer is not unexpected,” he added.
A senior nurse at BGH said, “Some 50 diarrhoea patients have been admitted to the hospital in the last 48 hours, and the number of patients is increasing every hour.”
Patients from Barguna and Bhola are also flocking to BGH. Their attendants said they came to the hospital as they could not rely on their local complexes. Most of the patients told this newspaper that they were victims of food poisoning.
District Civil Surgeon Dr Manowar Hossain said normally 20 to 30 patients receive diarrhoea treatment in nine health complexes and one general hospital, but in the last three days, number of patients has reached 109.
He said mainly contaminated water and food poisoning were behind the ailments. Most of the patients are children, but number of female and elderly patients was also increasing, he added.
Dr Mizanur Rahman, a former resident medical officer of Barishal Sadar Hospital, said hot weather helps the bacteria replicate faster, leading to increased number of patients.
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