Every hour an average of 40 to 45 diarrhoea patients are seeking admission at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases and Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) this season. The rate is alarmingly three times more than that of last March.
Over 600 new patients show up every day and the ICDDR,B authorities are struggling to accommodate them. Temporary tents have been set up on the hospital premises.
"The hospital has accommodation for 350 patients and usually we don't have more than 250. But during this season, as the situation is deteriorating every day and we had to set up extended temporary tents,” said Prof Shahadat Hossain, scientist and head of longer stay unit of ICDDR,B.
While talking to The Daily Star he also said some 618 patients had been admitted to the hospital till yesterday evening and the number might exceed 800 by midnight. On Friday there were 652 patients.
The situation is not likely to get any better soon until the water supply in Dhaka improves. The increasing number of diarrhoea patients might linger during April and May as the temperature rises, said the scientists of ICDDR,B.
The experts suggest that everybody should drink boiled water and avoid unhygienic food.
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