Managing waterborne diseases
Fill in the gaps
With the flood waters receding, incidence of various types of waterborne diseases is rapidly increasing. Each day people afflicted in the low lying peripheries of the capital city throng ICDDR,B, the premier centre for treatment of diarrhoea and cholera in the country. On 14 August the centre registered the highest number of patients in a day since its establishment 47 years ago.
If this is the situation in around the capital city one can well imagine as to what it would be like in the inundated rural areas of the country. The government's monitoring cell has identified as many as 1526 unions and 217 upazilas as being seriously affected by water-borne diseases. These figures are based on reported cases, so that the actual magnitude of the incidence may be bigger.
We are in the dark as to the status of other waterborne diseases like typhoid, hepatitis, viral fever, pneumonia, skin diseases and conjunctivitis.
Only the other day, for the first time, the authorities put out a request through the electronic media, with any visible degree of urgency, that patients should report to nearby public hospitals and health centres at the upazila, thana and union levels.
We strongly suggest that along with ensuring emergency medicare and attention, specific programmes should be undertaken in dealing with the acute malnutrition and lack of sanitation that are exacerbating the overall health situation. Urgent attention should be given to ensure availability of safe and clean water by repairing the cross-leakage between the water supply network and sewer lines. This measure along with free supply of water purification tablets and clean bottled water should result in drastically reducing the incidence of diseases.
In dealing with diarrhoea, cholera, typhoid, hepatitis we need a steady supply of ORS, IV saline and different kinds of antibiotics respectively. It is not enough to say that the factories are working overtime and stocks are sufficient, what is more to the point is their timely distribution to the affected people. Time is of the essence here.
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