Post-flood diarrhoea has hit Gaibandha badly increasing the miseries of people in the area.
One died while more than 400 diarrhoea patients got admitted to the Gaibandha Sadar Modern Hospital in the last three days.
Gaibandha Civil Surgeon Dr Nirmolendu Chowdhury said Nasiron Begum, 67, resident of Chokmomrozpur village under Gaibandha sadar was admitted with diarrhoea. She died because of diabetes and other health complications yesterday.
Until yesterday afternoon, a total of 176 patients got admitted while 30 received treatment at the outdoor section of the hospital, he said.
As the number of diarrhoea patients continue to rise, the hospital authorities have failed to accommodate them inside the hospital. To aid the situation, Brac has set up two makeshift camps on the hospital premise, said Brac Gaibandha branch representative Amol Kumar Dam.
“With 59 seats, 20 volunteers including one physician from Brac are working in these camps. Brac would continue the activity until situation improves,” said Amol.
The holidays of all doctors and nurses of the district health unit have been cancelled. An eight member investigation team led by Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) is working to disclose the reason behind the diarrhoea outbreak.
Senior Scientific Officer of IEDCR Dr Al Mamun Mahbub Alam said: “We have collected sample from the hospital. We would try to figure out if it is because of the downpour and water logging or the water supplied by the city corporation.”
Residential doctor of the Gaibandha Sadar Modern Hospital SIM Shahin said dehydration was high among the patients. A new virus could also be the reason of the epidemic. Around 5000cc to 20,000cc saline is being provided to each patient.
A honours first year student of Gaibandha Government College Mofizul Hoque said he had drank water supplied by the city corporation at a student mess in Thanapara area and since then having abdominal pain, nausea and watery stool.
The diarrhoea patients, most of whom are residents of the city and suburbs, said they fell sick after drinking water supplied by city corporation and from tube-well. Some claimed that the fishes sold at cheap rate after flood could have caused the diarrhoea outbreak.
“We suspect that water from the sewerage lines was leaked and got mixed with water supplied in the city. The rainfall and water-logging polluted the water. We will be able to confirm after testing the sample in Dhaka,” said IEDCR Officer Al Mamun.
Hospitals are running short of saline and other materials for treatment. Now they are depending on saline, pure drinking water and medicine provided by the district administration and city corporation, said Gaibandha District Administrator Md Abdus Samad.
