Emergency department at the 250-bed General Hospital in Brahmanbaria. Lucky Akter stands holding her 10-month-old son, Akbar Hossain, in her arms. She came all the way from Gobindapur village in Nabinagar upazila. For the past few days, her child has been suffering from diarrhea and has had a fever. At first, she took him to a local pharmacy. They gave him oral saline. But when there was no improvement, she brought him to the hospital.

In recent years, the number of diarrhea patients in Bangladesh has been rising. According to the Health Emergency Operation Center & Control Room under the Directorate General of Health Services, more than 650,000 people were affected across the country as of mid-April this year. Chattogram tops the list with the highest number of cases, followed by Dhaka. In Chattogram Division alone, 148,249 people have been infected, while Dhaka Division has seen 128,160 cases. Within Chattogram Division, Brahmanbaria has the highest number of cases. As of April 13, the district has reported 30,549 patients this year alone. Of them, over 12,000 are from Nabinagar upazila.

Speaking to Bonik Barta, the district’s civil surgeon Dr. Noman Miah said, “The main reason behind the surge in diarrhea cases is the dry weather. It creates several problems. The water level in tube wells goes down. With clean water becoming scarce, people turn to ponds, rivers, and canals. Eating stale food, poor hygiene, and an unhealthy environment only make things worse.”

A large number of diarrhea patients in Bangladesh are children. According to health experts, the main reason is the changing weather. While adults can usually adjust, children often struggle with these changes, making them more vulnerable. Access to safe drinking water, proper sanitation, and hygienic food—all of these also play a role in increasing diarrhea risk.

Dr. Shahnaz Khan, Deputy Director of the Lalkuthi Maternity (Maternal and Child Health) Hospital in Dhaka, told Bonik Barta, “To prevent diarrhea, we need to focus more on food safety. In many cases, both children and adults get infected because of contaminated food. Since it’s a waterborne disease, drinking safe, clean water is essential. People need to know how to properly boil and purify water to kill germs. And most importantly, we need more public awareness.”

Data from the Directorate General of Health Services shows a worrying trend. Over the past two to three years, diarrhea cases have surged across the country. In 2023, more than 1.5 million people were affected by diarrhea. That number jumped to over 2.2 million in 2024. In Chattogram Division alone, there were 274,697 cases in 2023. A year later, that number shot up by 80.77 percent to 496,578.

After Brahmanbaria, Chattogram District has seen the highest number of patients in the division during both 2024 and 2025. In 2023, the district reported 62,603 cases. That number increased to 99,672 in 2024. Even in April this year, Chattogram holds the second-highest spot. By April 13, the number of reported cases there had reached 24,501.

According to the Chattogram District Civil Surgeon’s office, in January alone, about 3,750 people were infected across 15 upazilas outside the city area. On average, 121 patients were admitted to upazila health complexes every day. In February, there were 3,430 new cases—an average of 123 patients per day. March saw 3,503 cases, with a daily average of 113. And as of April 17, there have already been 2,400 new cases this month, averaging 141 patients a day.

Dr. Jahangir Alam, Civil Surgeon of Chattogram District, told Bonik Barta that the number of diarrhea cases in the district has suddenly gone up. “We’ve already instructed all upazila health complexes to provide the best possible treatment to patients. We’re also urging people to drink clean water to stay safe from diarrhea. Hospitals have plenty of saline in stock, and there’s no shortage of other essential medicines either,” he said.

A similar picture is emerging in the hilly areas of the Chattogram Division, where the crisis of safe drinking water is even more severe. That is why other districts in the region are also seeing a spike in diarrhea cases. In 2023, the Rangamati district reported 7,523 cases. The number of cases rose to 9,923 in 2024. So far this year, 2,787 people have already been infected.

Dr. Nuyan Khisa, Civil Surgeon of Rangamati, said, “We haven’t received widespread reports of diarrhea cases in Rangamati this year, but we’ve alerted all upazila health complexes to stay fully prepared. They’ve been instructed to handle patients using their own resources.”

He added that diarrhea tends to hit remote areas of the district harder. “Places like Sajek in Baghaichhari, Dumdumya, Maidung in Jurachhari, Barathali and Farua in Bilaichhari, and several unions in Barkal upazila—these areas have limited access to safe drinking water and poor sanitation facilities. That’s why outbreaks are more common there.”

The situation is similar in Bandarban, another hill district. In 2023, there were 1,779 reported diarrhea cases. That number more than doubled in 2024, reaching 4,059. As of now, according to the Directorate General of Health Services, 2,190 people have already been infected in the district this year. Over the past month and a half, more than 500 patients have sought treatment across three upazilas in Bandarban.

Arpita Talukdar, a statistician at Lama Upazila Health Complex, told Bonik Barta, “In March, 103 people were treated indoors for diarrhea, while 79 came to the emergency department. So far this month, until April 16, we’ve had 65 indoor cases and 40 in emergency. As of yesterday evening, seven new patients were admitted and are currently receiving treatment.”

Meanwhile, in Alikadam upazila, 76 patients were admitted with diarrhea in March. In the current month, 53 more people have been treated so far. In Thanchi upazila, 53 patients have been admitted since March, according to Dr. Wahiduzzaman Murad, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officer.

Speaking to Bonik Barta, public health and hospital management expert Professor Dr. Baizid Khoorshid Riaz said, “Diarrhea is a waterborne disease, so it’s important to focus on a few basic habits—like washing hands properly before eating and after using the toilet. It also spreads through food. The fact that diarrhea is rising means we’re still struggling to ensure safe food and clean water. Prevention isn’t just a government responsibility. Individuals need to be more aware too. Since germs often spread through our hands, handwashing is extremely important. Plus, people are eating out more often these days, and a lot of that food isn’t prepared safely. That’s another reason we’re seeing more diarrhea cases.”

This report was prepared with contributions from Bonik Barta’s Chattogram bureau and its correspondents in Brahmanbaria, Bandarban, and Rangamati.