Officials in Pakistan’s flood-affected districts reported at least nine additional water-borne disease deaths on Tuesday, saying that the situation was “beyond gloomy” and that they risked losing control over the spread of infections.
According to the disaster management organisation, a strong and prolonged monsoon dumped around three times as much rain on Pakistan than on normal in recent weeks, leading to major flooding that claimed 1,559 lives, including 551 children and 318 women.
Those who died from diseases in the aftermath are not included in this number.
As flood waters that covered hundreds of kilometres begin to recede, which officials say could take two to six months, hundreds of thousands of people who were displaced by the flooding are living outdoors where stagnant waters have produced diseases like malaria, dengue fever, skin and eye infections, and acute diarrhoea.
Ahsan Iqbal, Pakistan’s planning minister and head of a national flood response centre jointly administered by the government and the military, declared that “diseases are already on the rise.”
He stated during a news briefing in Islamabad, “We fear it may get out of control.“
A “second calamity” could result from the increase in diseases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The provincial government of Sindh, the area hardest devastated by the floods, said that nine people died on Monday from gastroenteritis, severe diarrhoea, and suspected malaria, increasing the total number of disease-related deaths to 318 since July 1.
According to the report, almost 2.7 million individuals have received treatment for water-borne illnesses at temporary or mobile hospitals set up in flood-affected areas since July 1. On Monday alone, 72,000 people received care there.
Thousands more illness cases have also been reported in three other provinces.
Nearly 33 million people in the 220 million-strong South Asian country of Pakistan have been affected by the flooding, which has caused $30 billion in damages to houses, crops, bridges, highways, and livestock. The flooding was caused by record monsoon rainfall and glacial melt in northern Pakistan. According to scientists, climate change compounded the calamity.
According to the administration, the prior prediction of 5% GDP growth for the fiscal year 2022–2023 will likely decline to 3%.
The UNICEF has described the families’ position as “beyond bleak.”
According to the report, at least 3.4 million boys and girls still require immediate, life-saving assistance, and an estimated 16 million children have been affected.
Featured Image: verywellhealth.com
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