Diseases, malnutrition likely to raise Pak flood deaths: UN
Country faces a cascading ‘second disaster’ from diseases such as dengue, malaria, cholera and diarrhoea, says UN official; Unicef renews flood aid appeal as 10 more die
The water-borne diseases and malnutrition that are plaguing swathes of Pakistan ater record monsoon floods threaten to be more deadly than the initial deluge, UN officials warned on Wednesday.
Pakistan has been lashed by unprecedented monsoon downpours flooding a third of the country - an area the size of the United Kingdom - and killing nearly 1,600 people, according to the latest government figures.
More than seven million people have been displaced, many living in makeshit tents without protection from mosquitoes, and oten with litle access to clean drinking water or washing facilities.
United Nations humanitarian coordinator Julien Harneis said Pakistan faced a cascading “second disaster” from diseases such as dengue, malaria, cholera and diarrhoea, as well as malnutrition.
“My personal concern is that mortality from the water-borne diseases, from malnutrition will be higher than what we’ve seen so far,” he told a press conference in the capital Islamabad.
“That’s a sober but realistic understanding.”
Flood-hit areas of Pakistan risk losing control of the spread of infections in a crisis that the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) described as “beyond bleak.”
Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the floods are living in the open and as flood waters spread over hundreds of kilometres start to recede, which officials say may take two to six months, stagnant waters have led to diseases like malaria, dengue fever, skin and eye infections and acute diarrhoea.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said the surge in diseases has the potential for a “second disaster”.
In Sindh, the region worst hit by the floods, the provincial government said nine people died of gastroenteritis, acute diarrhoea and suspected malaria on Monday, bringing the total number of deaths from diseases to 318 since July 1.
Over 2.7 million people have been treated for water-borne diseases at makeshit or mobile hospitals set up in flood-hit regions since July 1, it said, with 72,000 people treated at these facilities on Monday alone.
In a video message earlier today, Sindh Health Minister Azra Pechuho urged people to adopt safety measures against vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue as the death toll from catastrophic floods across the country neared 1,600.
“The government is doing anti-dengue sprays across the province but there are some precautions that people need to take at home as well,” she said in a video message.
“Apply mosquito repellant lotions on your body. Put mosquito coils on the entrance of the house at dawn and dusk. Don’t keep water open, make sure you cover it where it is in utensils or in buckets. Spray your houses,” Pechuho recommended.
She said that in case of fever, paracetamol and panadol should be consumed. In case of a low platelet count, go to a hospital immediately, the minister pointed out.
Pechuho added that a 24/7 emergency helpline (021- 99223374) has been launched by the Sindh government to cater to internally displaced persons and those affected by the floods.
Devastating floods in Pakistan’s worst-hit province have killed 10 more people in the past day, including four children, officials said Wednesday as the Unicef’s agency renewed its appeal for $39 million to help the most vulnerable flood victims.
Only a third of the sum in the funding appeal has been met so far, Unicef said in a statement.
Pakistani doctors and medical workers are struggling to contain the outbreak of waterborne diseases, malaria, and dengue fever among hundreds of thousands of survivors now living in tents in southern Sindh province.
The unprecedented monsoon rains and flooding, which many experts atribute to climate change, have affected 33 million people and killed as many as 1,569 people across the country since mid-june.
Of that number, 701 people - including 293 children and 131 women - have died in Sindh, where many areas remain submerged. Hollywood actress and UN humanitarian Angelina Jolie made a surprise visit to Sindh on Tuesday, meeting with some of the flood victims.