While the fear of dengue and measles has been averted in Barguna, diarrhea has brought a new blow to public health. The outbreak of diarrhea has suddenly increased at an alarming rate across the district. In the last 24 hours, 37 new patients have been admitted to the 250-bed Barguna General Hospital alone. There is no room in the upazila health complexes including the district headquarters.

Although the rate of infection is highest among children and the elderly, in many cases the entire family is infected and admitted to the hospital. According to the information of the Civil Surgeon’s Office, 133 people in the district were treated for diarrhea in the three days from April 10 to April 12. Of these, 88 were admitted to Barguna General Hospital, 16 in Patharghata, 13 in Amtali, 6 in Taltali and 5 each in Betagi and Bamna.

Statistics show that from January to April 12 of this year, the total number of infected people in the district has reached 2,671, of which 386 have been infected in the last week alone. A visit to the General Hospital on the spot showed that doctors and nurses are struggling to cope with the overflow of patients.

The hospital’s Resident Medical Officer (RMO) Dr. Tazkia Siddiqah said, “On the one hand, there is an outbreak of measles, and on the other hand, there is a rise in diarrhea patients. We are having extreme difficulty providing services due to the shortage of doctors. However, there is sufficient stock of medicines.”

Senior nurse Nazmunnahar Hira, working in the diarrhea ward, said, “It has become very difficult for us to provide services to such a large number of patients day and night.”

Zakir Hossain of Gorjanbunia village in Sadar upazila and Usha Rani of Khejurtala, who are undergoing treatment at the hospital, said that they were forced to be admitted to the hospital after suffering from sudden stomach pain and frequent diarrhea.

Four-month-old Jihad’s mother, Shefali Begum, said that they brought the child to the hospital after he was repeatedly vomiting and having diarrhea since morning. According to experts, the main reasons for this situation are seasonal changes, acute shortage of clean water and lack of awareness about personal hygiene.

Civil Surgeon Dr. Mohammad Abul Fatah said, “Consuming rotten food in the extreme heat and eating watermelons everywhere during the watermelon season are among the reasons for the increase in diarrhea. In addition, diseases like typhoid and paratyphoid are spreading due to the lack of safe water.”

Public health experts have advised the general public to boil water and wash their hands with soap before eating. It is feared that the diarrhea situation in the district will worsen further if the situation is not brought under control.