Upazila Health Officer Paritosh Kumar Kundu said diarrohea broke out in an alarming form at Masna, Bahadurpur, Madhupur and Bharatpur villages towards the end of last month.

The disease has now broken out in an epidemic form at Monirampur upazila, he added.

Total number of diarrhoeal patients, admitted to upazila health complex till noon yesterday, stood at 305.

Those who have died so far are Ridoy, 4, Firoza, 35, Ayub, 40, and Mohammad Ali of Bharatpur, Ershad Ali, 35, and Shamonti, 30, of Madhupur, Rabiul, 20, Sonia, 10, and Rikta,10, of Masul, Sattar,50, and Ayesha,58, of Bahadurpur villages.

Dr Paritosh attributed the sweltering heat and the use of unhygienic latrines to the outbreak of the disease.

"We are failing to provide necessary medicare facilities to the patients due to acute scarcity of IV saline and other essential medicines," he added.