Moshiur Rahman :: After three consecutive days of heavy rain, intense heat has returned, leading to a sharp rise in diarrhea cases at Joypurhat General Hospital. In the last five days, 368 patients have been admitted, with children and elderly people being the most affected. Most of the admitted patients are residents of Joypurhat Municipality.
Family members claim that rainwater has entered the municipal water supply lines, causing the outbreak. However, municipal authorities suggest that the situation may have been caused by people consuming open and unhygienic food at various fairs organized across the city during the Durga Puja festival.
On Saturday alone, 138 patients were admitted with diarrhea, followed by 101 patients on Sunday. From Monday to Tuesday afternoon, 129 more patients were admitted, and by 8 a.m. on Wednesday, 48 patients had been hospitalized. The sudden surge in patients has overwhelmed doctors and nurses, making it difficult to provide proper care.
During visits to the hospital on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday, it was seen that due to a shortage of beds, many patients were lying on the floor and corridors, receiving saline treatment there.Jalal Uddin, the husband of Ruby, a patient from Masterpara area of Joypurhat Municipality, said, “My wife started vomiting and had severe diarrhea on Monday evening. I brought her to the hospital immediately, but there was no bed available, so we had to lay her down in the corridor.”
Another patient, Gopal Prasad, who is receiving treatment on the hospital floor, said, “The water supplied by the municipality is dirty. I fell sick after drinking it. I was admitted on Sunday. Although the vomiting has stopped, the diarrhea continues, so I still cannot go home.”
Hajera Banu, the mother of Jahura, a patient from Chatkhur village in Panchbibi upazila, said, “My daughter fell ill after eating sweets from a fair during the Puja festival. She is still suffering from diarrhea and vomiting.”
Mohammad Alauddin from Dasra Khanpara in Khetlal upazila said, “My son is suffering from diarrhea and vomiting, but we still don’t know the exact cause.”Nurse Sadia Ira of Joypurhat Sadar Hospital said, “We still don’t know why the number of diarrhea patients has increased so suddenly. However, in a previous outbreak, leakage in the municipal water line was found to be the main cause.
Assistant doctor Md. Haris stated, “The number of diarrhea patients has been increasing for the last five days. Most of them are residents of various neighborhoods under the municipality, and many of them blame the municipal water supply. The cause will be clear after testing.”Municipal Sanitary Inspector Mamunur Rashid said, “After receiving complaints, water samples from the affected areas were sent to a laboratory in Bogura for testing, but no contamination was found. If the water was the cause, the entire municipality would have been affected. The allegation is not accurate.”
Hospital Superintendent Dr. Sardar Rashed Mobarak said, “For the past five days, the hospital has been under immense pressure due to the high number of diarrhea patients. It is suspected that both municipal water and open food are contributing to the outbreak.”
Joypurhat Civil Surgeon Dr. Al Mamun said, “Since diarrhea is a waterborne disease, it usually spreads through contaminated water or adulterated food. We immediately held a Zoom meeting with all relevant stakeholders. Our preliminary assumption is that the water supply is the main source of the problem. The municipal administrator has been asked to take urgent action.”
