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Doctors and health professionals are concerned about a probable disease outbreak in Dhaka following the hours-long waterlog mixed with the blood of sacrificed animals on the day of a national holiday Eid-ul-Azha, Dhaka tribune reported.

According to the source, blood-soaked streets on the day of the second biggest religious festival of Muslims is nothing new for Dhaka residents who participate in the annual ritual of sacrificing animals after the Eid prayers.

This year incessant rain for nearly a day and a half resulted in “rivers of blood” in Dhaka as the rainwater mixed with the animal blood completely submerged streets.

The waterlog lasted for nearly 10 hours on the Eid day, which means thousands of people came into the contact with the dirty water, raising the concern among the health experts.

They fear that contact with the water may put people in danger of developing skin diseases, and it could also result in an outbreak of waterborne diseases.

“Blood is usually sterile, unless it carries any viral or bacterial infection. But when it gets mixed with water, it becomes contaminated. So animal blood mixed with rainwater in the city streets is definitely a cause of concern. It could spread any kind of waterborne diseases, including diarrhoea, cholera, hepatitis, etc,” said Dr Khaled Noor, pediatrician and former professor at a local Medical University.