Malaria is spreading fast in Pakistan after the floods

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Sep 22 2022 07:18

Pakistani authorities said Thursday that malaria cases are spreading in the flood-stricken areas of the country, with the death toll from the disease reaching 324, adding that the situation may get out of control if the needed aid does not arrive soon.

Hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the floods are living in the open, and stagnant flood waters estimated at a distance of hundreds of kilometers, which may take two to six months to recede, have led to the spread of cases of skin and eye infections, diarrhea, malaria, typhoid and dengue fever.

France plans to host an international conference before the end of the year on reconstruction in the flood-affected areas of Pakistan. The announcement came after a bilateral meeting between Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif and French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, according to a statement issued by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.
More immediate assistance is needed for displaced families suffering from mosquito swarms and other dangers, such as snake bites and dog bites.
These people are in dire need of food supplies, shelter, medical aid and medicine, and many complain that this aid is not reaching them despite the efforts of the government and local and foreign aid organizations.
With Pakistan’s weak health system and lack of support, displaced families complained that they were forced to use water unfit for drinking and cooking.

The Sindh provincial government said today, Wednesday, that temporary health facilities and mobile tents in the flooded areas have treated more than 78,000 patients in the past 24 hours, and more than two million people since July 1, six of whom have died.
The United Nations warned that cases of malaria, typhoid and diarrhea are spreading very quickly, adding that 44,000 cases of malaria were recorded this week in the southern regions.

Source: agencies