Diarrhoea overtaking us

This is the season for diarrhea; only that the incidence is higher this time around than that of previous years which is put down to an earlier onset of the malady this year. So, that's the magnitude of the challenge we face, but are we up to it?

Even Dhaka with its supposedly elaborate existence of facilities including specialised units for the treatment of diarrhoeal diseases face difficulties in coping with the daily onrush of patients. The well-equipped and much renowned ICDDR,B is having to treat double the number of patients it had attended to last year. Consequently, it has had to pitch tents to cope with the rush this year. Imagine then the predicament of the hospitals and health centres in the rest of the country. And true to apprehensions it is learnt that the medicines are in short supply. Crucially, the inter-veinous (IV) saline is dreadfully scarce at the government hospitals calling for urgent replenishment of stocks.

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The water table going down at this time of the year, supply to city dwellers in particular has drastically fallen. To quench their thirst, most people are having to drink poor quality water bearing all kinds of harmful bacteria. Free distribution of water purification tablets coupled with WASA's mobile supplies could help improve matters there.

Furthermore, perishable food items get stale and rotten too quickly in sweltering heat exposing the consumers to dreadful afflictions. People should be made aware of the risks involved in eating indiscriminately outside home.

It is widely believed that the steep decline in sanitation and hygienic conditions in the metropolis has rendered the denizens extremely vulnerable to viral attacks of all kinds.

Nothing short of a comprehensive strategy, inclusive of both preventive and curative elements, can see us through the public health hazards we are facing today.