Diarrhoea breaks out in Joypurhat; over 550 hospitalised in a week

Diarrhoea has broken out in the northern district of Joypurhat, sending more than 550 people to hospital over the past week. 

However, no deaths have been recorded during the period, reports UNB. 

The district’s Sadar hospital and other upazila hospitals are struggling to deal with the overflow of diarrhoea-infected patients.

The patients were seen receiving treatment on the corridor and balcony outside the diarrhoea ward of the Sadar hospital on Thursday.

According to the authority concerned, some 70 to 75 patients, mostly children, are getting admitted to the Sadar hospital every day.

District Acting Civil Surgeon Dr Tulsi Chandra Roy told UNB that over 522 people affected by diarrhoea had been admitted to the government hospitals in the district since March.

Of them, 65 patients were admitted to the 250-bed Sadar hospital over the past 24 hours, she said. 

Physicians and public health experts said that diarrhoeal infections have increased due to probably unhygienic food, adulterated or coloured iftar items, and contaminated drinking water in different bazars and markets of the district.

Sadar hospital’s Caretaker Dr Rashed Mobarak Jewel said the municipal water line might have burst due to the negligence of workers while working on the drainage system of the ongoing 4-lane road in Joypurhat district town, contaminating the supply water. 

Samples have already been sent to a laboratory in Bogura for testing the water supplied through pipes under the ground of the municipality. 

However, as of this report, the district civil surgeon's office and Joypurhat municipality have not received the water test results. 

Meanwhile, the municipal authorities are already advising the public to drink water by boiling it.