The recurrence of waterborne
diseases continue reducing everywhere in the rural areas as a
result of effective activities being conducted by the concerned
government and non-government organisations in recent years.
The rural people have achieved laudable success in health,
hygiene, sanitation, nutrition and safe drinking water during the
past five years because of the huge ongoing awareness building
activities and government assistances.
Rangpur Divisional Director (Health) Dr Shahadat Hossain said
recurrence of various waterborne diseases like diarrhoea,
cholera, dysentery, hookworm, ringworm and others among the
people of all ages has been reduced to the minimum now.
“Because of adequate public awareness of the related issues
about water borne diseases at the grassroots levels in recent
years, the child and maternal mortality rates have also been
reduced to the minimum everywhere in Rangpur division,” he said.
The government and NGO level health workers, Union Health
Sub-Centres and Community Clinics have been playing vital roles
side by side with the efforts of different other government
organisations, WHO and UNICEF in the country, he furthered.
Talking to BSS, some union parishad chairmen and members said
people are now significantly aware about health, hygiene,
sanitation, personal hygiene, safe drinking water and they do not
use the open places as toilets as it was in the pasts.
“Despite disappearance of diarrhoea, only few incidents of
such diseases are still being noticed following consumption of
rotten, old and unhygienic foodstuffs from a section of roadside
hotels and restaurants,” social worker Shahidul Islam said.
Specialist physician Dr Ekramul Hossain said waterborne
disease-related child and maternal mortalities would touch zero
level in near future as the Community Clinics have been very
important roles towards the directions at the grassroots levels. -BSS, Rangpur
