Diarrhoea spreading fast in Nilphamari

A boy being treated for diarrhoea on a bench in front of Nilphamari Sadar Hospital. PHOTO: STAR

At least 5000 people have been attacked as the disease is spreading alarmingly to fresh areas.

Though a seasonal phenomenon, its intensity is greater this year as a fallout of late floods that caused crisis of drinking water and aggravated the monga, officials said.

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Supply of oral saline is also not adequate in the affected areas.

In Ding Ding Para village, 10 miles from the town, at least 200 out of about 1000 people are attacked with diarrhoea. It is hard to find a family without at least one diarrhoea patient, sources said. All members of a family being attacked with the disease is also not uncommon. On Tuesday, some villagers snatched IV saline injections from medical teams there for their sick relatives.

Deputy Commissioner Rabindra Nath Roy Chowdhury, Civil Surgeon In-Charge Dr Abdul Majid and Sadar UNO ATM Masuduzzaman visited Ding Ding village on Tuesday and assured the villagers of all possible help.

The Deputy Commissioner held a special meeting on Sunday with all Upazila Health and Family Planning Officers and officials of Public Health Department to find ways to combat diarrhoea. In the meeting, two ADC's were given emergency duty for monitoring the situation round the clock. A Rapid Response Team has been formed at the district headquarter to rush to any area on information.

Besides 72 medical teams now working in the district, one Emergency Team has been formed in each upazila to monitor the situation and take immediate steps, officials at the district control room said.

The Deputy Commissioner has allotted 45 tonnes of rice for worst affected areas because the disease is caused mainly due to shortage of food and pure drinking water. As poor people have no work now, they try to survive on uneatable things, which cause diarrhoea.

The 12 victims are Parveen, 3 of Jhechu Para village, Abia, 6 and Rabeya, 8, of Dangapara village in Sadar upazila; Zabeda, 40, Jobeda, 55, Rozina, 25 and her five-day old son of Panger Motukpur village in Domar upazila; Abdul Majid Kalu, 40, of Guapara in Kishoreganj upazila and Chobidul, 35 of the same upazila; Abdul Mamud, 45 of Balapara cluster village in Jaldhaka upazila and Rekha, 4, of the same upazila and Fatema Begum of Pochar Hat village in Dimla upazila.

The district control room however confirmed only two deaths from diarrhoea. Sources there said at least 2300 people took treatment at government hospitals and field treatment centres in four days till Tuesday. A total of 203 people went to hospitals only on Tuesday.

Unofficial sources however said the number of patients would be much more as many people in remote areas do not have any means to go to hospitals. They take treatment at home.

At some government hospitals, some patients alleged that the authorities released them though they were not fully cured.

Awami League lawmaker from Nilphamari Sadar constituency Asaduzzaman Noor at a press conference here on Sunday demanded of the government to declare diarrhoea and monga affected Nilphamari district as a 'distress area'.

He said people are being attacked with diarrhoea after eating uneatable things as they have no food and work.

The situation is more serious than what the district officials say, he said. The district health department does not give an accurate picture of the situation. They give a low death toll only to save the image of the government, he alleged. He urged the Prime Minister to visit the affected areas.

Civil-Surgeon In-Charge Dr Abdul Majid, when contacted, told this correspondent on Tuesday that 72 medical teams were working in the affected areas across the district. Two temporary diarrhoea treatment centres have been setup in Gorgram and Chanderhat village in Sadar upazila.

He said UNICEF officials had inquired about the situation and requirement of IV saline and other medicine. He said there is a stock of 6,383 bags of 500 cc IV saline and 1,238 bags of 1,000 cc IV saline with the district health department. More 2000 bags of IV saline reached Nilphamari on Monday. He said the situation is still under control.