A diarrhoea epidemic has affected hundreds of people since Friday night at Masjid Para, Majherpara, Baganpara, Masterpara, Mallik Para and Jintola Para in Chuadanga municipality.
However, it had not claimed any life as of 8pm yesterday. Earlier on Sunday, there were rumours going around about a person dying because of diarrhoea, but our correspondent has dispelled the rumour by speaking to the residential medical officer (RMO). It was not the death from diarrhoea, nor was the patient from any of the three diarrhoea-affected areas, said RMO Masud Rana.
According to the hospital’s emergency section, as many as 700 patients had come to Chuadanga General Hospital for treatment until yesterday since Friday night. Of them, 176 patients came to the hospital with diarrhoea symptoms yesterday.
They had brought nurses from the upazila health complexes to tackle the rush of diarrhoea patients. Even some office rooms had to be vacated to accommodate the diarrhoea patients as patients’ wards were unable to house so many. Now there is no room for even a patient inside the hospital.
The Border Guard Bangladesh however is making room for accommodating the patients in front of the hospital, but no patient was yet to be brought in here until filing of this report yesterday.
Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, diarrhoea patients said they had fallen sick after drinking the contaminated water supplied by the municipality authority.
They explained that they had realised the water was contaminated when they drank it on Friday night, but had nothing to do but to drink it.
Nasrin Akter from Baganpara, who has been admitted to the hospital, said: “We have been affected with this waterborne disease by drinking the water supplied by the municipal authority.
“At least three to four people have been affected by it at every house in Baganpara.”
Another woman, Rahela Khatun, who hails from the same area, has been placed next to the main gate of the hospital because of a lack of space in the patients’ wards.
She said: “I started vomiting and lost control of my bowels after drinking the water supplied by the municipality authority.”
Chuadanga Municipality Mayor Riazul Islam Joarder Toton said: “We are suggesting people through mikes not to eat any stale food and to drink no unboiled water,” and added that they had supplied the hospital with the municipality’s sweepers to help tackle the situation.
Meanwhile, Chuadanga Sadar Hospital’s RMO Masud Rana said they had 176 patients yesterday night and new diarrhoea patients were still coming in. However, there is no room for new patients inside the hospital.
Supervisor of the Immunisation Programme at Chuadanga Municipality Ali Hossain said: “We have already tested the water pumps at the three designated areas in the municipality. The pumps were also washed with germicides.”
“Those who have been affected with the waterborne disease are being given all kinds of oral salines and also being provided with water purification tablets,” he added.
Civil Surgeon Azizul Islam said: “We do not know how this is breaking out. To know it, we have sent water sample to Dhaka. We hope to know the cause behind such epidemic by tomorrow (today).”
