By January, the WHO predicts 2.7 million cases of malaria in flood-affected areas.

 

ISLAMABAD:

According to The News, the World Health Organization (WHO) has raised alarm about the second wave of illness epidemics engulfing Pakistan's flood-affected regions.

WHO's representative in Pakistan:

The WHO's representative in Pakistan, Dr. Palitha Mahipala, urged the international community to "do a lot more" to save lives in Pakistan on Saturday, noting that 2.7 million malaria cases were anticipated in 32 districts by January 2023.Dr. Mahipala stated that outbreaks of water- and vector-borne illnesses have started in Pakistan's flood-affected areas, as the WHO director general had earlier warned. He said that although malaria outbreaks are being reported in 32 districts, acute watery diarrhea (AWD) outbreaks are occurring in 46 flood-affected areas. Additionally, he informed reporters during a briefing at the WHO Country Office in Islamabad that cholera, measles, and dengue epidemics are among the other illnesses that can cause significant damage if appropriate treatment is not given.

Flood-affected areas:

Dr. Mahipala described the upcoming winter as the third significant problem in the flood-affected areas and warned that the combination of water and vector-borne illnesses, severe winters, and people living along hundreds of kilometers of roadways in Sindh and Balochistan may be exceedingly deadly. He insisted that the WHO has rated the floods in Pakistan as a Grade 3 Emergency, the highest category, meaning that the organization's national and regional offices, as well as its headquarters, are all contributing to the response. He continued by saying that the WHO has made an appeal for $81.5 million to cope with disease outbreaks and to give the vulnerable populations access to basic medical care.

Speaking of malaria, Dr. Mahipala:

Speaking of malaria, Dr. Mahipala claimed that 32 districts in Sindh and Balochistan were "worst-affected" by the disease, with thousands of cases being reported every day. He added that they were concerned that these districts would produce 2 million malaria cases by December and roughly 2.7 million cases by the end of January 2023."In order to reduce malaria-related deaths, WHO is donating $2.5 million worth of anti-malarial drugs and fast diagnostic kits, as well as technical assistance to the federal and provincial governments to cope with outbreaks of the disease. Prophylactic therapy and post-exposure therapies are being set up to treat malaria patients as larvicidal preventative measures are not practicable in flood-affected areas, he insisted. He said that the WHO has invited 14 top technical experts, including epidemiologists, vector-control experts, and infectious diseases specialists, among others, to advise on how to deal with outbreaks and save precious lives in the nation. In addition to the 96 individuals already on the ground, he said, the WHO is also planning to hire 107 additional technical workers and staff to deal with the health emergency in Pakistan's flood-hit areas.

Infectious diseases vaccination campaigns:

Acute watery diarrhea outbreaks have been recorded in 46 Pakistani districts, and dengue has arisen as another significant public health issue, particularly in Karachi and several other Sindhi areas. Although we are unaware of the precise number of fatalities due to the weak death reporting system, the situation in the impacted regions is only growing worse, he insisted. The representative acknowledged the measles outbreaks as well as other vaccine-preventable illnesses like cholera and typhoid in the flood-affected areas. She added that malnutrition was a serious problem for the health authorities because malnourished children could easily contract infectious diseases and that special vaccination campaigns were being run in the affected districts to vaccinate as many kids as possible.

Flood-affected areas:

In response to a question about providing clean drinking water to the affected people, he stated that the WHO had given out 4 million aqua tablets, which can make water germ-free and suitable for drinking, and that they had set up two filtration systems in Sindh. He also added that they would provide 1000 small filtration plants in the flood-affected areas, of which 100 would be purchased and installed very soon. He said that the WHO has committed to renovating 200 of the most severely damaged health institutions in the flood-affected areas, and that work has already begun on renovating 78 of them. He insisted that a significant amount of emergency medications had already been sent to the federal and provincial governments in Pakistan. "As far as medicines are concerned, WHO is planning to send drugs costing 9.873 million for persons in flood-affected regions," he said.

Provincial governments:

He responded when asked how the provincial governments of Sindh and Balochistan were handling the crisis: "They are doing a terrific job but the governments and the international community need to step up." The calamity is massive in scope, and the second wave has already started with disease outbreaks. Many lives are at risk, and if prompt action is not done, lives saved by early warning systems and accurate flood and rain forecasts may be lost owing to disease epidemics.