NEWS paper reports highlighted the outbreak of diarrhea in the capital over the past several days blaming waterborne diseases as widely responsible for it due to a sudden rise in temperature. International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) at Mohakhali registered a rush of patients from 500 to 600 a day now coming mainly from different parts of the city and its adjoining districts. Over 400 patients got admitted to the ICDDR,B every day now over the past few days against the admission rate between 150 and 200 per day at normal times. On Friday alone ICDDR,B admitted a total of 370 diarrhea patients while the number stood at 402 on Thursday, 403 on Wednesday, 402 on Tuesday and 365 on the previous Monday.
As we know diarrhea is a tropical disease and the summer heat makes people easy victims. We remind the people that they must drink more safe water to avoid dehydration and they should also rush to the hospital as and when they get affected without sitting at home or trying to treat it from local sources. Moreover, we hold the view that a greater public awareness campaign must be in the air when summer arrives every time and the government and non-government organizations should take the drive to alert the people of danger. Because school children, office-goers, small businessmen and workers who move on foot or go to factories in public transport or in open air and eat and drink from unsafe sources become the easy victims. If these people knew of the danger and the risk of taking unsafe food and drink they could avoid it in the first place. There must be concerted actions to protect people from all sides.
ICDDR,B physicians who are highly equipped with knowledge and supportive logistics to deal with the life threatening disease blamed the pre-monsoon season from March to May as the most vulnerable time when a good number of adults and children suffer from it due to taking unsafe roadside foodstuffs and drinking contaminated water. The summer heat makes the situation further worse and it is time one should practice the utmost cleanliness to avoid falling sick. We know poor people are regular victims because of their exposure to dirty water, unsafe food and scorching heat. Destitute children, garment workers and slum dwellers pay heavily as eating fruits and vegetables like guava, carrot and cucumber are washed or soaked with contaminated water. In most cases mothers’ ignorance make children affected. They provide children with milk from dirty feeding-bottles instead of breastfeeding them. ICDDR,B sources said the largest number of patients are infant children.
We ask for preventive measures at very level at this time of the year to avoid the outbreak of diarrhea in an epidemic form. People must moreover drink saline and boiled water and avoid stale foods. People infected with diarrheal diseases should drink oral saline and receive treatment as quickly as possible.
