The number of diarrhoea cases continued to rise at different parts of the country, especially in the capital, with the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) overwhelmed with people infected with the water-borne disease.

“We’re receiving information of an increase in the number of diarrhoea patients at different parts of the country, especially in Dhaka city. We remain alert to face the situation,” Prof Dr Najmul Islam, spokesperson for the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), said at a health bulletin on Sunday.

“There’s a huge pressure of diarrhoea patients at the icddr,b since March 7,” Baharul Alam, head of the hospital, told the Daily Sun on Sunday.

He said the diarrhoea patients are rushing to the hospital from various parts of Dhaka city and its adjacent districts as well.

The icddr,b sources said the hospital authorities have already set up two additional tents to accommodate additional patients as they are struggling to tackle the situation.

“On average, over 1,100 diarrhoea patients are being admitted to our hospital every day,” an official of the hospital said.

Sources at the icddr,b said around 45 diarrhoea patients were admitted to the hospital per hour as 539 were hospitalised in the last 12 hours till 12 noon on Sunday.

From the end of the first week of the current month, 500 patients were admitted to the icddr,b every day on average, which increased to 600 in the second week and it has risen to over 1,000 since March 17, the sources said.

Sources at the two city corporations of Dhaka said at least 10 areas of the capital have been identified as hot spots of diarrhoea as drinking unsafe water has been assumed by the health experts as the main reason behind the disease.