Nearly 60,000 people have so far been affected by diarrhea disease in Bangladesh this year amid hot weather, officials said on Monday.
Out of the total, they said some 16,427 patients were affected this month as the disease spread fast particularly during the last two weeks due mainly to abrupt rise in temperature.
In-charge of the government's Diarrhea Control Room under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Nurul Islam told Xinhua on Monday, 35,849 diarrhea patients have so far got admission at government hospitals throughout the country this year.
Besides, until March 15 another 23,551 patients sought for treatment at the country's biggest diarrhea hospital International Center for Diarrheal Disease and Research Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) in capital Dhaka this year, the nongovernmental organization said.
Shahadat Hossain, head of long-stay clinical unit at ICDDR,B, said they are struggling to accommodate influx of patients. Temporary tents have been set up on the hospital premises.
However, both Islam and Hossain said there is no report of death due to diarrhea so far.
Hossain said the rise in temperature stimulates growth of micro- organisms and predicted that the number of patients in the coming weeks might substantially rise if temperature further rises.
The highest temperature in the country was recorded 34.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday while it may cross 40 degrees Celsius during the upcoming summer season.
Doctors said scarcity of safe water and quick decaying of prepared food due to rise in temperature are among other reasons behind the rise in diarrhea outbreak.
According to health ministry, in the first three months of last year, the number of diarrhea patients in the country was 62,144.
Secretary of the health ministry Sheikh Altaf Ali said, "We've taken some special measures like supplying additional medicine at hospitals and warning people of drinking safe water during this moment."
"We're considering to send special medical teams at most diarrhea prone areas to provider better treatment to the patients, " he said.
Apart from this, he said chiefs of district and sub-district level hospitals have been informed to remain alert following the outbreak of disease.
According to government statistics, 393 people died of diarrhea out of over 2.2 million people affected in 2008.