Diarrhoea has broken out in at least 10 areas of the capital as more and more patients are being admitted to different hospitals.

Jatrabari has been identified as the worst affected area followed by Dakshinkhan and Rayer Bazar, said hospital officials.

The areas include Commissioner Road and Suti Khalpur in Dholpur, Kazla Bridge School Goli and Gobindropur in Jatrabari, Mollabari and Foyedabad in Dakshinkhan, Notunbazar Boro Biga Mor in Badda, and West Jurain Railgate near the Shyampurbridge.

For the first time in 60 years, the daily diarrhoea patient admission mark at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) exceeded the 1,000 mark on March 17. The hospital had admitted 1,141 patients that day.

In 24 hours till Thursday midnight, a total of 1,176 patients were admitted to the hospital. As many as 665 patients were admitted to the medical facility in 15 hours preceding 3:00pm yesterday, meaning around 44 patients were admitted per hour.

About 70 to 80 percent of the patients were adults.

Cases of diarrhoea have been on the rise in the capital since the second week of this month, with the icddr,b admitting majority of the patients.

The Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), the largest hospital in the country, is also witnessing a rise in the number of diarrhoea patients for a week.

"We have been receiving 10-15 diarrhoea patients each day for a week, almost double than usual. But only 2-3 of them required hospital admission," Brig Gen Nazmul Haque, director of DMCH, told The Daily Star yesterday.

The icddr,b provides treatment to around 400-500 diarrhoea patients on a regular day. The figure slightly increases before the monsoon.

During the first week of March, the hospital admitted 500 patients per day on average, which increased to 600 the following week.

"Only a scientific research can identify the reason behind the spread of the disease. People in the most affected areas are probably either drinking contaminated water or eating street food," Dr Baharul Alam, head of the hospital at the icddr,b, told this newspaper.

Officials said the number of diarrhoea patients peaks by the end of April every year.

"Germs which cause diarrhoea attack mainly the adults in April. This year, the disease has struck earlier than usual," said Baharul.

The physician advised people to drink safe water and avoid street food to ward off the disease.

The hospital authorities said patients are provided treatment free of cost and they are discharged within 24 hours usually.