Incidence of cholera on rise in coastal districts

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Mashiur Rahaman
The incidence of cholera in the country's coastal districts is on the surge due to rising water temperature, fuelled by fast gripping effect of climate change that will pose serious health hazards in coming years, experts said.
Bacterium V Cholerae - the prime cause of cholera epidemic - has been found flourishing faster in the coastal areas than even in the warmer fresh and salt water bodies, a study conducted recently by the Climate Change Cell of the Department of Environment revealed.
The thriving growth of this particular bacterium is playing the prime role in spreading cholera across the coast areas that experts see as the sign of an imminent epidemic.
According to the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Diseases Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) V Cholerae alone is responsible for more than 50 per cent cases of severe cholera disease each year.
According to another study by ICDDR,B, rising water temperature as a consequence of climate change will create more favourable conditions for multiplication of algae and zooplankton in aquatic environment, and therefore the reproduction of V Cholerae.
Since cholera is waterborne and the species mentioned above are part of the normal aquatic flora, increased survival of the flora in the environment may favour epidemic or pandemic spread of the pathogen. Warmer waters will enhance the growth of the vibrio bacteria, causing more disease, experts explained.