The capital is witnessing a diarrhea outbreak, with 268 people, mostly adults, hospitalised with the disease over an 8-hour period till Sunday 8AM, according to the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b).
icddr,b also reports as many as 1250 patients received treatment for the disease on Saturday (over 24 hrs), while the number was 1138 on Friday.
The worst affected areas are Jatrabari, Dakkhin Khan, Badda and Shanir Akhra in the city.
This year, over 1200 people have been found infected with the disease. Some 5 percent of those hospitalised in recent days have been found to be children.
The number of diarrhea patients usually rises in the pre- monsoon or pre-winter periods, but this year the number of cases is higher, said AKM Tariful Islam Khan, public relations officer of icddr,b.
However, many patients with severe diarrhea are being admitted to icddr,b every day and they got discharged from the hospital after getting stable.
During a recent visit, physicians were found struggling to provide medical treatment to the patients.
Recent instances of diarrhea outbreak in Bangladesh occurred in 2018 and 2007, as over 1200 people were found infected with the virus.
Diarrheal disease is the second leading cause of death in children under five years old, and is responsible for killing around 525 000 children every year.
Diarrhea can last several days, leave the body without the water and salts that are necessary for survival.
Source: United News of Bangladesh