Outbreak of diarrhoea at Bhurbhuria Tea Garden

The number of people suffering from diarrhoea at Bhurbhuria Tea Garden in Srimangal upazila has increased during the last several days.

Officials at the tea garden dispensary and Srimangal Upazila Health Complex said at least 92 people have been admitted to the government hospital in the last one week while an elderly tea worker died while undergoing treatment there on Wednesday.

The dead was identified as Rajkumar Chatry, 60, a resident at Bhurbhuria Tea Garden.

Sadat Hossain, a physician at Bhurbhuria Tea Garden’s dispensary, said at least 34 diarrhoea patients took treatment there last week.

As the dispensary has a capacity of only six beds, many patients were referred to different hospitals for lack of space facility.

According to the hospital sources about 468 patients, mostly women workers and children at Bhurbhuria Tea Garden, were admitted to Srimangal Upazila Health Complex since April 1 till May 8.

One of the female tea labourers Kamalaboti Ghatuar said they have to do their household work using water from nearby river as they do not have any tube-well in the area.

They have been facing the outbreak of diarrhoea due to this, she said.

Octogenarian Mohan Roy, who lives with his tea worker son Modan, said his entire family, except him, was infected with the disease after taking boiled taro a few days ago.

His daughter-in-law brought the arum from one of their neighbours as she had nothing to cook on that day, Mohan said.

Besides, the entire family of another tea labourer Sajib Das, 32, including his wife and two children, has been taking treatment at the hospital after being infected with diarrhoea on Wednesday night.

Another patient Shipon Chatry said people have been infected with the disease after drinking contaminated water of deep tube-well.

Many families at Bhurbhuria Tea Garden have been suffering from diarrhoea since last month, Srimangal Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer Dr Shakhawat Hossain said, adding that usually such situation occurs due to extreme heat also.

Moulvibazar Civil Surgeon Dr Shahjahan Kabir Chowdhury said rural people, who consume water from pond, canal or river, are getting affected with the disease.

Lack of awareness about diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases is also a reason for spread of such diseases.

Meanwhile, Kalighat Union Parishad Chairman Pranesh Goala is distributing oral saline, medicines and pure drinking water among the tea garden workers with his own money.