More than 500 people have fallen ill after eating food served at a gathering held after a death in Saghata, Gaibandha. Of them, 115 were admitted to the upazila health complex for treatment, while many others are being treated at Gaibandha Sadar Hospital or at home. Dr Md Iltutmish Akand, Saghata's upazila health and family planning officer, confirmed the figures on Friday evening (13 November).
Zahidul Islam of Kalpani in Bonarpara union died in hospital in Rangpur on the night of 6 November, and a gathering (majlis) was held in his memory at Kalpani Nayapara village on the morning of Tuesday, 10 November. Local people said guests began falling ill one after another after the meal, first with diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pain; as the numbers grew, many were taken to hospitals.
Ashiq Mia, who attended, said the diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach pain began after he got home and he had to be admitted to hospital. He believes the food was to blame.
Aftab Ali, a member of the local union council, said he too fell ill. Food had been prepared for about 1,000 people, and from his inquiries he believes 500 to 600 may have been taken ill. The union council chairman, Nasirul Alam Swapan, said such a large event should have been organised with more care.
Many of the 115 admitted to the health complex have recovered and gone home, Dr Akand said. Two hundred packets of oral saline have been sent to the ward for health workers to distribute, along with tablets and the other medicines needed. To his knowledge, the health complex had not admitted so many patients at once in the past five years.
This report is based on a story by News Bangla 24's staff correspondent. The photograph shows a UNICEF packet of oral rehydration salts (ORS).
Photo: Cjp24 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: News Bangla 24
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