The number of diarrhoea patients continued to rise in the capital and elsewhere in the country amid summer’s heat wave.
A total of about 600 patients were admitted to International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) in a single day on Friday.
Experts said that drinking of unsafe water and consumption of food by the people are responsible for deteriorated situation.
Food borne germs grows fastest at temperatures between 32 and 43 degrees Celsius. During the summer, the warmer temperatures and higher humidity are ideal for bacterial growth, according to Food Safety and Inspection Service of the USA.
Chief Physician and Head of Hospitals of the icddr,b, Dr Azharul Islam Khan said that the number of diarrhoea patients increased this year compared to last year.
Patients were mainly coming from the city’s Jatrabari, Dakkhin Khan, Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Tejgaon, Badda, Khilgaon and Lalbagh areas, he said.
The icddr,b treated about 3000 patients mostly from the capital and the adjacent districts since April while it treated about 45,000 patients throughout the year in 2018.
icddr,b admitted about 1500 diarrhoea patients while Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Mitford Hospital, Dhaka Shishu Hospital and private hospitals witnessed the unusual flow of diarrhoea patients.
The physician suspected that poor quality of supply water in some city areas might have led to the rise in diarrhoea cases.
He advised people with diarrhoea symptoms to have oral saline and visit the nearest hospital at the earliest if the condition deteriorates.
He also suggested that breastfeeding mothers should feed their babies properly and take fresh food and water to avoid getting diarrhoea.
Taqsem A Khan, Managing Director of Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, said there were no coliform or fecal coliform bacteria in WASA water.
Visiting the icddr,b on Friday this correspondent found that of the patients, almost half were children and others were adults and elderly people from income groups, in and outside the hospitals.
Sohag Alamgir, a garment worker, who came from Kachpur, said he felt sick three days ago. He was admitted at icddr,b on Friday.
Abul Hossain, owner of a medical store on Satish Sarkar Road in the city’s Gandaria, said sale of oral saline has increased by about 30 percent at his store in the last couple of weeks.
