Outbreak of intestinal diseases like diarrhoea this year appeared to be less in flood-hit areas despite higher risks of eruption of water-borne ailments with recession of waters, thanks to a massive awareness campaign.
“Despite being a critical time, the influx of diarrhoea patients has not gone up yet (at our facility),” media manager of International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) Tarikul Islam Khan told.
He said enhanced awareness as a result of a massive and protracted campaign appeared to have largely reduced risks of outbreak of water-borne diseases during the post deluge period.
According to health experts children aged between three-month and 12 years are exposed more to diseases like diarrhoea, cholera, fever, pneumonia, typhoid during flood-time because of polluted water and weather change, which appears prominent during the recession of flood waters.
Children from lower income families appear worst victims of these ailments because of lack of pure water and healthy food during this period in particular while in many cases the parents could not take timely their affected children to the healthcare centers, a situation which often causes their life risks.
According to child specialists, some simple measures could save lives of a number of children during the post flood periods.
“First of all, parents should boil their drinking water, wash their hands with soap before and after they take food, wash their hands after using toilet, should not throw away their trashes indiscriminately as preventive measures against diarrhoea,” said Dr Sakil Sarwar, a paediatrician who works at a remote health facility in Pirozpur.
He said most people who die from diarrhoea actually die from severe dehydration and fluid loss and the “children who are malnourished or have impaired immunity are exposed to life risks caused by diarrhoea”.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diarrhoeal disease is the second leading cause of death in children under five years old though “it is both preventable and treatable”.
Each year diarrhoea kills around 760 000 children under five throughout the world and a significant proportion of diarrhoeal disease can be prevented through safe drinking-water and adequate sanitation and hygiene.
