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Country continues to wilt under heat

2 die of heatstroke, scores land in hospital

Staff Correspondent
TWO people died of heatstroke in Benapole and hundreds sought treatment for dehydration and diarrhoea at hospitals and clinics in the capital as sweltering weather and extreme heat wave persist in the country.
According to the meteorological office, temperature in Dhaka reached its high 39.6 degrees Celsius yesterday, while the highest temperature was recorded in Jessoreat 42.8 degrees Celsius.
The temperature hit a 14-year record high in Dhaka on Sunday while the city saw the highest temperature of 36.9 degrees Celsius in April last year. Lack of rain for over three weeks and frequent power outage makes life miserable for the city dwellers.
Hospitals in the capital are struggling to cope with the sharp rise in the number of patients suffering from diarrhoea and other water-borne diseases in last few days.
The authorities of different hospitals find it difficult to manage the excessive pressure with their existing workforce and infrastructure.
Moshiar Rahman, 55, a brick-kiln owner in Bhaberber village, and Ansar Ali, 60, a worker of another brick-kiln in Shaymolgachhi village, died of heatstroke yesterday, reports A Correspondent in Benapole.
According to physicians, children are the worst sufferers of the broiling weather. Children are seeking treatmen t mostly for fever, diarrhoea, pneumonia, jaundice, chicken pox, cough and skin diseases.
During a visit to Mitford Hospital, it was found that a huge number of patients were waiting in the queue even for more than three hours at the outdoor.
"Normally we receive some 200 to 250 patients every day. The number now stands at 600," said the resident physician of the depart ment of Paediatrics at Mitford Hospital. He added most of the patients,are suffering from viral fever, acute respiratory tract infection (ARI), diarrhoea and kidney infections.
During March-July period, they generally treat more patients than usual, but this year they have received record number of patients, said anon-duty doctor.
Excessive heat and sweating are the reasons behind fever, cough and pneumonia, said Dhaka Shishu Hospital authorities. They said they are treating patients three times higher than usual since last month.
The number of patients admitted to the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR.B) has broken the record of 40 years during this pre-monsoon season. The ICDDR.B sources say 65 to 70 percent patients are suffering from severe diarrhoea. Every day more than 800 patients are seeking treatment at the Centre, which crossed 1,027 on April 11.
"Normally we receive some 400 to 450 patients during the pre-monsoon season every year. This time the rush of patients has broken the record of last 40 years," said Dr Azharul Islam Khan, head of the short stay unit, ICDDR.B.
According to Dhaka Medical College Hospital authorities, the department of medicine is receiving more than 3,000 patients suffering from different diseases everyday at the outdoor. The normal number of patients at this department is around 2,500.
Some 15 percent of the total patients seeking treatment at the Shaheed Suhrawardi Hospital are suffering from diarrhoea, said Emergency Medical Officer Dr Saiful.
Around 22 people died of diarrhoea in the last one month, while 2,292 more patients were admitted to hospitals in 40 districts in last 24 hours.
Meantime.’ over" 300 sup-dents largely affected by viral tever, cough, throat and chest pain and also with problems of diarrhoea and skin diseases are taking treatment everyday, said sources at Dhaka University- Medical Centre.
During April 19-25, 2,001 students received treatment with registration from the allopathic section of the Centre, whereas the number was 1,220 during March 19-25.