More than 200 people hospitalized as diarrhoea cases rise in Chattogram after floods
In a Nutshell:
- Over 200 diarrhoea patients admitted across Chattogram after recent floods, including one death.
- Contaminated water tank at Babul Colony identified as likely source of a local outbreak.
- Health officials say situation is under control, not yet at epidemic level.
- 65,000 water purification tablets distributed, with ORS and safe water support ongoing.
Why it Matters
The floods that hit Chattogram from July 8 killed 23 people and contaminated around 20,000 shallow tube wells across the division, so this outbreak was already flagged as a likely second crisis by public health officials. With children making up nearly a third of upazila cases, the risk now hinges on whether authorities can secure clean water and sanitation fast enough before isolated clusters like Babul Colony turn into a wider epidemic.
Who it matters to
Roughly 800,000 people across Chattogram face contaminated water directly, since nearly 20,000 tube wells and over 5,600 toilets were damaged in those three upazilas alone. Children carry the heaviest medical burden, making up to a third of hospitalised cases. City and civil surgeon health offices are now under pressure to contain this before it spreads beyond isolated clusters like Babul Colony, especially with over 750,000 people affected division wide and large areas still without power or safe water.
