Too much to bear

Every time he left Dhaka Shishu Hospital, his parents would have a feeling that their son recovered completely. After returning home, the boy would remain in good health for a few days before the old symptoms crept back. The parents would then rush him to the hospital again.

This has been going on for the last 14 months, as three-year-old Abdullah Al Mahadi has been diagnosed with a rare kind of diarrhoea that contributes to his skin loss. Whenever he suffers from diarrhoea, he loses skin on his body. After recovery, his skin grows over again.

On June 6, Mahadi got admitted to Dhaka Shishu Hospital again with severe diarrhoea and loss of skin pigments. 

Dr Salahuddin Mahmud, assistant professor at the hospital, said the boy is suffering from Acrodermatitis Enteropathica -- a condition that affects the skin due to zinc deficiency.

On Sunday afternoon, Mahadi was referred to International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) in the capital's Mohakhali.

Though Shishu Hospital can treat diarrhoeal diseases, he was referred to the icddr,b as the latter is specialised in treating the diseases, he said.

As the rare skin disease is associated with diarrhoea, he needs to recover from diarrhoea first, added Dr Salahuddin. 

Earlier on the same day, during a visit to the Shishu Hospital, this correspondent found Mahadi wrapped in a towel.  His body was covered with thick red plaques.

Mahadi's father Alauddin, an imam (religious leader) at a mosque in Comilla, told The Daily Star that his son's health was deteriorating. 

Due to the skin disorder, Mahadi is experiencing burning sensation in his skin, said Alauddin, adding that his flesh gets visible at different parts of the body. Failing to bear the pain, Mahadi screams most of the time, said his father.

When contacted last evening, Alauddin said icddr,b authorities yesterday collected samples of Mahadi's stool and blood.

A post on Facebook with Mahadi's picture recently went viral, requesting people to stand by him with financial assistance. The request prompted many well-wishers extend a helping hand to cure Mahadi's disease, said his father.

But the frustrated father wishes to take his only son to India for a comprehensive treatment, for which he will need a large amount of money.

As he is unable to spend such an amount, he hopes that the affluent section of the society will come forward to make his wish come true.