Using potable water to fight diarrhoea

Diarrhoea is a common disease in summer. However, it has recently taken an alarming turn in the capital with a large number of patients getting admitted to hospitals every day. The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) has been witnessing a huge rush of diarrhoea patients with an average of 1,100 patients reportedly being admitted to the hospital daily. According to the icddr,b, most of these patients are children and elderly people. Experts suspect that poor quality of supply water in some city areas might have led to the rise in diarrhoea cases.
In this situation, we all must remember that prevention is better than cure. And one of the main ways of protecting ourselves against diarrhoea is to drink boiled water. People with diarrhoea symptoms should take oral saline. But there are still some misconceptions about taking oral rehydration solution (ORS). Some people think that ORS worsens someone's condition if they are diabetic or have high blood pressure. These all are baseless myths. And we must keep in mind that ORS is completely safe for patients with morbidities. However, in case of frequent thin stools and vomiting, the patient should be admitted to the nearest health centre as soon as possible. Amid the surge of diarrhoea patients, the authorities concerned as well as the media should motivate people of all walks of life to adhere to hygiene rules and drink safe water to prevent diarrhoea.
Ashikujaman Syed,
Research Assistant,
Bioinformatics Research Lab,
Center for Research Innovation and Development (CRID),
syedashikujaman@yahoo.com